undeserving of you.

VIII

ritz carlton of seattle
7:00 pm
callie's POV
—
quick a/n — i know i forgot to narrate that they were going out for dinner but they are now so hush LMAO

valentina takes me out to a fancier restaurant than expected. it's kind of like a hotel, casino, and resort all mixed together. it's really luxurious, and i feel like if you even wanted to step foot inside you'd have to pay like $1,000. my gaze flies around the room, scanning every single thing in sight. food and drinks are being served everywhere, rich looking people are being served everywhere. it's like living in a fairytale, almost. valentina grabs hold of my hand and steers me towards a table much more downsized than the rest of the others, but just as fancy. a waiter comes over and asks if we're ready yet. valentina shakes her head no and says we just sat down. we pick up our menus and look through the beverage options.

"hmmm," val says as her eyes run down the menu. she lifts her glass of iced water to her lips and takes a sip. "what are you thinking of eating tonight?" she asks me. "you," i say, trying hard not to laugh. i keep my eyes trained on the menu, knowing that val is glaring at me right now. sofia is sitting in the chair next to mine, but it seems like she didn't notice the meaning of what i said — she didn't seem to notice i said anything at all. i look up as i can no longer hold my laughter in anymore. val looks from sofia to me, me to sofia. she's mouthing, "your daughter is RIGHT there! no time for dirty talking, especially right when we're about to eat!" i shrug and go back to deciding what i'm actually going to eat. after more leafing through the menu, i place it down. i look at val, who's done looking through the food choices and is sipping more water.

i snap my fingers to get her attention. "psst. wanna order red wine?" i ask her. val looks intrigued. she gestures at sofia and shakes her head no. "fine then. rosé? it's less alcoholic and you won't find yourself dragging me up into my bedroom," i say. val gives up and agrees to rosé. i order one bottle of it when the waiter comes around. "i'll have it for you in about five minutes," he says.

i find myself twirling my hair around my finger, which never happens unless i'm really anxious or nervous. why would i be nervous right now? valentina answers my question. "callie," she says softly across the table. i look up. she points behind me, and i follow her finger. two tables away from us, sits arizona robbins and is that, carina deluca? they're chatting amicably while they wait for their orders to come. i turn around so they don't notice me, my eyes wide. valentina's eyes are just as wide. i lean forward and whisper, "we do not speak of the peds doctor." val nods, although, she's drumming her fingers against the table, which is her way of indicating that she's anxious. it looks like she's practicing her paced breathing method, the one she mentioned the first day we met. i watch as her chest heaves up and down, up and down. her eyes are closed, and it seems like there's a war going on inside her head. when the waiter comes back with our wine and to order our food, they flutter back open.