| My Roman Holiday | CarinaxArizona |

Chapter 9

"Don't leave. Stay here, stay with me. We can go back together." The Italian grabs onto the blonde's arm with one hand while the other grips her waist, pulling the two bodies close. "I don't want to be even a minute away from you." The familiar mellow accented voice travelled to the blonde's ears. Warming her heart at the idea of staying in Italy with her summer fling turned lover. Their faces are inches apart as both women shift towards each other, closing the gap between them. The once felt warmth dissipated into the distant void, the new emptiness shivering her core as their lips collided.

"Bambina, you're okay. I'm here." The blonde became more conscious and aware of her surroundings as she lay in Carina's arms. The grip of the OB tightened around the American. "Hey, hey... Arizona. You're okay. You were having a bad dream... uhmm, a nightmare!" Her face proudly presented as she recalled the word.

Arizona stared at the brunette for a while, not saying a word as she watched the woman holding her. Her chiselled and defined features softened each time she laid eyes on the American. Her poker face failed her, only when in private with the peds surgeon. The blonde knew what she felt. Her heart knew. But unlike others, she often followed her head more than her heart. The woman thought back to the dream she had just woken from. What did it mean to her? But more importantly, how realistic is it? For all she knew, Carina had feelings for her more than just a 'sex friend', but insecurity doesn't go away just like that. An apology begins fixing things, in this case, the relationship between the two. Still, it doesn't wipe out the tainted past shared. Arizona had chosen to forgive, but the forgetting part was going to take a while. She meant what she had said to Carina. She wanted to see her happy, no matter what happened between them. But what she hadn't said was, 'please don't be in love with someone else.' She lets out a sigh, leaning further into the Italian, embracing the warmth radiating off her skin. She looks up from the crook of the OB's neck, lifting her head slightly so that she could peck the Italian on the cheek.

"What was that for?" The taller woman asks through the smile that just appeared on her face.

"Just wanted to kiss my-" The blonde stops, not knowing exactly what Carina was to her anymore. They were more than friends, but after everything that happened, they couldn't still be together. Could they?

The brunette understood the expressive face of the American as if she were saying everything she thought out loud. Carina had held onto the blonde the whole time, breathing her in and occasionally looking down at her effortless beauty as she woke up. Sitting in comfortable silence, there were so many words begging to be said. Still, all the two could muster was an exchange on knowing soulful looks before the silence was broken.

"Do you wanna stay the night and head to bed?" Carina asked, knowing the answer could go either way. She felt the slight resistance from the blonde. The now frequent panging of heartache reemerging each time she saw resistance from the woman in her arms, the woman for whom she has strong feelings.

"I'm not sure if-" Arizona cuts herself off as she watches the brunette's face drop a little, just slightly. Enough for the blonde to notice, she knew staying the night would blur the lines of her feelings even more, but the aching in her chest fogged her mind up just enough for her to agree to stay the night. "Only if you don't mind." She allowed the grinning she felt on her face as she answered the Italian.

"I don't."

The two head to the bedroom, their movements natural as if this had become an established routine. Both women moved to their own side of the bed, sliding under the sheets before meeting in the middle, where they faced each other.

"Is this weird? Should I turn around or-" The blonde asked, slightly panicked. She realised that for the first time since they met, they weren't sleeping together but simply sleeping next to each other in the same bed.