undeserving of you.

IV

bryant elementary school
2:44 pm.
callie's POV
—
"and, i think that's about it, children. that's what sofia's mama does for a living," i tell sofia's 4th grade class.

i took the day off from work to go to sofia's school for their show & tell presentation. everyone seems interested in me, even the children, since i'm an orthopedic surgeon who works at the largest hospital in seattle, washington. i mean, i expected the teacher to be naturally interested in me, but the children? that came as a surprise. the bell rings, signaling the end of the day. "perfect timing!" sofia says, smiling. i smile back. she hugs me, her arms wrapping around my waist because she's not tall enough to wrap them around my shoulders yet. it's fairly cute. i go over to ms. neal's desk and thank her for welcoming me to sofia's class. after shaking hands with her, sofia and i head outside to our car.

"see, that wasn't too bad, right mamá?" sofia asks proudly. "no, no it wasn't, mija. it was perfect," i say as i'm buckling sofia up. she's long done with her car seat; she just likes it when i buckle her seatbelt because she's still afraid of hurting her finger or something. she's still at that innocent kid phase. i climb into the driver seat and turn the car on. "hold on!" i tell sofia as i back out of the parking space. i'm only going about 5 miles per hour, but sofia throws her hands up like she's on a roller coaster and it's about to go into free fall. i laugh and smile at my beautiful daughter. she makes me so happy, and so does valentina.

- 15 minutes later -

pulling into the driveway of my house, i see that the mailman is parked outside and he's just getting back into his car. i wave at him as he drives off. after i get sofia and i out of the car, i tell her to go and make a run for the mailbox and scoop out all of the mail. i open the front door to my house and for some reason, expect valentina to just pop around the corner and come running at me to kiss me. it feels like we're already living together, even though our two month anniversary is today, actually. i still need to figure out what to get her. not a ring — it's too early to propose. a teddy bear? she might think i'm treating her as a child. chocolate? too basic. then, i remember she really liked this off the shoulder dress i had in my closet and i decide to pack that into a box. i hear sofia run back into the house and the front door closing. "mamá, i got the mail!" she yells as she thunders upstairs to her room. "okay! thank you, baby!" i say as i'm finishing writing in valentina's card. i thought it'd be nice to have sofia sign it as well, but i guess this is a personal thing that should stay in between valentina and i.

i finally get everything into a pretty white gift bag when my phone starts vibrating. i forgot to turn the ringer back on when we left the school. i had silenced it so it wouldn't disturb sofia's cute show & tell presentation. i walk over to my dresser. "incoming call from valleyteena42" is what the caller ID says. i'm happy to see her contact name and i answer.

—
calliopeee37 — hey! i thought you're still at work?
valleyteena42 — nope! i was able to get out early and i'm on the road now. i have free time for the rest of the night. do you want me to head over to your place?
calliopeee37 — *pause and possible gay panic*
valleyteena42 — cals? callie, you still there?
calliopeee37 — *clears throat* yeah, yeah, come on over. my place isn't too far from the hospital. do you remember where it is?
valleyteena42 — by heart. i'll see you soon. the light just turned green!
calliopeee37 — sure thing! safe driving <3
valleyteena42 — aw, you're cute. i'll be there soon! bye!
calliopeee37 — bye!

- end of call -

—

i sigh and throw my phone onto the bed. what am i thinking? "safe driving?" i'm cheesy as hell. and she called me cute. i would be lying if i told you that i didn't almost have a heart attack when she said that. she calls me cute, but doesn't realize how cute she is.

i walk out of my room and into sofia's. she's changing into her house clothes, which aren't exactly pajamas—they're temporary clothes that are easy to change out if she needs to suddenly go out. i knock on her door to get her attention. she looks up and smiles. "yes, mamá?"  my daughter is adorable. "hey, honey. so valentina is coming over. it's going to be your first time meeting her. you okay with that?" i say. sofia sits down on the edge of her bed. "valentina?" it takes a while for the name to register in her brain. her eyes light up when she remembers. "ohhh, she's that attractive latina who you always talk and gush about?" sofia asks, smirking. i roll my eyes as confirmation and nod. sofia gets up and starts dancing around her room. she does that when she's excited.

"yay! yes, of course i'd love to meet her! she seems so sweet, and she makes you really happy." sofia walks up to me, her puppy dark brown eyes looking up at me. "the only thing that matters is your happiness, so if she contributes to increasing your happiness, then she's considered as family already to me. you feel the same way, don't you mamá?" i nod vigorously. "of course, sweetheart. she means a ton to me." sofia smiles and grabs the remote to her tv. as she sits on the bed, she turns to me, smiles sympathetically, and says, "i'm happy for you, mamá. let me know when she gets here." i nod and blow her a kiss. i settle into the white velvet couch in the living room, the closest piece of furniture to the front door. i sigh, and realize, i still have on my regular clothes. what am i doing with myself? valentina can appear any moment. i need to get dolled up.

i dash back into my bedroom and scan the clothing options in my closet. i pick out a dark maroon off the shoulder velvet dress with diamond embroidery that goes around the waist. i lay it down on the bed. i most likely will end up taking valentina back here late at night and doing some things that god wouldn't approve of. so i pick out my sexiest red lingerie set and trade it out for my simple black lace set. i then slide the velvet dress over my body and let the low straps settle gracefully down my shoulders. i put on a white gold chain necklace with a platinum ruby pendant to match my dress. i sit on the edge of my bed and slip on burgundy suede ankle strap heels. i let a couple of pandora silver bangles slide down my right wrist and pearl bracelets down my left. i take out my silver hoops and pierce in dark red butterfly earrings which glint in the sunlight.

now that my clothing is done, i go to my vanity and pull out my makeup products. a little golden shimmery eyeshadow sweeps over my eyelids and i draw sharp cat wings with black eyeliner. i apply long-lasting dark red maybelline matte lipstick and a clear gloss over it. i brush my hair, evening out my baby hairs and watching my curls bounce up. as i stare at my reflection, i sense a feeling that i'm missing something. the lightbulb goes off in my head, and i reach into a drawer and pull out medium length falsies. i bat my new eyelashes as i make one more look over myself. i decide to go with a black over the shoulder prada bag that hangs by a silver chain. i'm all set and ready when my doorbell rings and a text lights up my phone. it's valentina. "i'm here, cals. i bet you look flawless🥰."

i take a deep breath and go downstairs. i see her shadow in the marble glass of my front door. i walk and stop until i'm only inches from the front door. i place my hand on the handle. more paced breathing. 'alright. here goes nothing.' i swing the front door open.

a/n — weee! they're about to go on their first official date! i'm so happy for them, even though i'm the one writing out their story, lmaooo😭find out what happens next. i'll keep y'all updated with another chapter when i get out of school! ilyyy and thank u for the reads so far💗

- angie <3

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