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The fact that he seemed genuinely grateful for a reconnection brought a smile to Callie's lips. For all she knew, he still could have come to resent her after all this time. There was great relief in the idea that that wasn't true.
"I never thought I'd see you again." She explained. She had no way of reaching out to him, and she certainly didn't feel like he deserved that from her. "So I'm glad to have you back. In whatever capacity." Even if he was just going to be her boss.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
At least Luca managed to take the whole thing in a better way than she expected. Of course, even Callie could see he was struggling, but he hadn't stopped her, and that was a true statement about the kind of person he was. She kept reminding herself that a conversation like this was so imperative to moving on in any capacity. If she wanted to keep him as a friend, he deserved all the honesty she'd deprived him of for so long.
"It's probably better for you that you did leave, though." She continued on, not willing to settle on the poor quality of her inevitable lack of a choice; "I mean, it sounds like you learned a lot about yourself in the time you were gone. Pretty sure I did the same. Like, I definitely don't think the old me was worth the effort you were putting in."
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Revelations filtered easily through his words to her. Callie had always assumed the motive behind his decision had been standard. So when he offered his first reasoning, she struggled to believe it, but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was good she didn't get so caught up in it, because it washed away as quickly as it surfaced.
It made sense. Self-preservation was the perfect way to describe it.
Then she laughed, even though it didn't feel like a moment to laugh. She dropped her eyes at the overall absurdity of the whole situation. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing because you left, I promise." She said quickly, waving her hand at the thought. But it wasn't wrong.
"Well, actually, I sort of am. But not cause you did it, it's just that..." Pausing briefly, she took a slow breath in to find some control. Some comfort; "You literally both left."
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
It was important to note that Callie never searched for sympathy from him. Not from either of them. Her moves mightn't have been soaked in pride, but they were still her actions. She didn't regret them, because she couldn't possibly regret them. "I've never heard that saying before." She replied honestly. Still, she mulled it over in silence between them. Pressed lips pulled to the side in her contemplation, but she kept her eyes on him all the same. He looked uncomfortable, but there's no way anyone would be comfortable with this.
"It's not like I broke up with either of you. You both broke up with me." She added, but she wasn't pointing the finger at all. She shrugged her shoulders; "Which, y'know, is understandable. Not saying it wasn't. Just saying that for all the pressure, I never made a choice. Unless you count me not leaving you when she asked me to... A choice." Which she would, if she were here. Thankfully this would never be a community conversation, "Which would mean that... I did pick you."
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie lost his eyes, and she wasn't surprised by it. They'd never had an in depth conversation about the person that she put between them. They'd never really talked about it at all.Even if she couldn't catch his eyes, she knew she'd hurt him by even bringing it up. But that was the point of this whole thing, wasn't it? Clearing the air felt more important now than it ever had.
"Try being in love with two." She replied, the corner of her mouth tugging into a knowing frown. It had never been easy then, and it still wasn't an easy thought now.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie felt the nature of his eyes as they stuck to her. He was looking for something more than what her words could give, she was sure. All she really wanted to do was make him feel better, but at this point, she didn't think she could.
"It was more about getting used to knowing that I shouldn't feel... Unwanted?" She admitted, turning the response back on her own imperfections. "I'm like that with everyone. To the point of being a little clingy, honestly. I don't blame you for everything that happened. It wasn't cause you were the way you are, if that's what you've been thinking."
Was this the wrong conversation to have? There had never been closure for either party. Callie knew that, and while it was important to get that at some point, it wasn't something to push for. "She was just... Like, I really thought I loved her." She tried to explain, like those words could help anyone at this point.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie was armed with the small advantage of knowing one of these girls already. Though she'd met Lena not all that long ago, at least she knew who she was. That was nice, and it was really easy to not be nervous when she wasn't dealing with a total stranger in that respect. So when she got the details for the trio group, she was pretty chill about the whole thing, even if she was a few minute late to the first rehearsal.
She walked in to the two just looked like they were introducing themselves. So she wasn't really late, just a beat behind. Still... "Sorry, am I late? I had a thing but I tried to rush here as soon as I could." Now wasn't the time to delve into the inner workings of her high school-based dilemmas, so she wore an easy smile instead.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
It was hard to focus on one person all the time in a room like this. Callie's bright blue eyes wandered the unfamiliar sets of bodies out of an obvious kind of curiosity. She listened at the agreement offered and nodded along, grinning at the confidence they clearly managed to share. That's what a big part of this world was built on, after all.
She whipped her head back around in an instant, intent to focus on the one hot girl in the room who genuinely wanted to talk with her, let alone interact with her on a working level. "No totally, let's go for it. I'm happy to be your partner." She said with a smile. Really, she could do a lot worse.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie watched him go through the motions after she'd spoken. She could tell that he'd taken it some kind of way, and she supposed the blame for that landed squarely on her shoulders. She'd never been the best at trying to explain herself. And though she was never the best at reading people, she could definitely see that he was thinking a lot about her own words.
"No, I don't mean that in a way that I'm getting down on you for it." It was nothing to feel bad about or apologise for. She was fast to act on that thought; "What I mean is that like, it took getting used to to know you weren't like that. You weren't like anyone I'd ever dated cause everyone else was super similar like that. But it's not bad that you were different. That you are different."
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
The name offered didn't ring a bell for Callie, but that was okay. She hadn't met many of the people who worked there, but the ones she managed to encounter were all pretty nice.
"Whoever she is, she'd be crazy to say no, right?" Callie asked her with a laugh. Eyes trailed the room around them like she'd somehow manage to actually see her. Wishful thinking from the optimist.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
His surprise gave Callie cause for concern. Perhaps a lot of this was her own fault for never approaching the topic of conversation with him. It just felt like such an overtly personal thing to push on someone; she wasn't sure she'd ever been ready for it, because she wasn't sure how he'd handle it.
"I guess for me, it's like the total opposite." She admitted, frowning instinctively at the idea that she'd never actually said this to him. "If you don't, like, reach out or whatever, I don't really know what to do or think because that's all I want all the time." The polar opposite was glaring, and it surprised her that they lasted as long as they had without talking about it.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie was willing to say just about any truth to get Luca to pay attention to what she thought was the obvious. She'd never thought there was anything wrong with him, but he was so caught up in that belief that it seemed impossible to break down. And there he was, flipping her words and complimenting her at the same time.
"I never thought there was a great unfair exchange, or anything like that." She explained, the corner of her mouth pulling to a frown. "And I think I always got that you weren't super touchy or whatever because you feel a certain way about yourself. I didn't think it had much to do with me."
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie could honestly say she'd never met someone with an ability like that. "So you just like know who's a meta and who isn't. That's so cool." It'd certainly make for a more comfortable approach to strangers. Some people weren't the most hospitable to their kind. "I wouldn't trade it for the world though." Because she was right; it was way too good for what she did.
A change in conversation whipped her attention to a greater focus. "No, actually." She admitted, feeling a little foolish for the fact. But she was quick to shrug the negative feeling off; "Am I lucky enough to have you?"
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
"He was cute." Callie brushed the thought off easily. It wasn't like he wasn't now. Anyone with eyes could see that; "But, y'know, now he's a boss. So less cute and more... Y'know." She backed away from the potentially inappropriate with a laugh and a quick wave of her hand.
"Oh no, that's cool." She said then, though she couldn't even try to understand why she said she wouldn't recognise it. "To put it easily, I have hyper flexible muscles like... Naturally. To put it weirdly, I can pop a bone out of its socket and not have to really stress about it. It's all painful and stuff but you get used to it. Makes dancing a breeze." And she'd always count herself lucky for that.
"Why do you wanna know?" Now she had to figure it out before she stood in the dark forever.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie was grateful he saw no need in delving into shallow topics instead. There might have been more worth airing between them, and she was just as grateful for the opportunity at all. When he talked about trust, she knew she didn't think she deserved it. Given the trouble she'd gone through with Chandler trying to earn a shred of a past relationship, she just sort of expected it from him too.
He made it easy, and that was so her style.
As she held his hand, Callie idly ran her thumb across his skin. The stark difference in temperature was somehow comforting, and she wanted to keep it. "Well, I mean, we were kids." She started, letting herself at least try to justify everything. "We're still young and dumb - at least, I know I am - but not so bad that I'd wreck anything with you again. You're so good and you really do deserve someone who'll give you a decent try."
