Feelings are Dangerous Things
Clarke is relieved when the interview is over, but not the least bit surprised to find that the agent is suspicious of their relationship. “Well, that could have been worse, right?” She murmurs once they’re back in the car, even though she can feel the anger rolling off her boss.
“Fucking Jordan, I’ll kill him.” Lexa growls as she put the car into gear, speeding away from the building. “Should have known that worm would pull shit like this, all because I wouldn’t publish his piece of shit.”
Clarke frowns slightly, one hand gripping the safety handle the other moving to smooth over Lexa’s thigh. “Hey, it’ll be okay.” She finds herself saying, tracing soothing patterns along the brunette’s jeans. “You and I can do this, we’ll go to my parents’ thing and then we’ll come back and figure out when the wedding should be and we’ll talk to Aden about everything and it’ll be okay.”
The editor lets out a frustrated sigh, but seems to relax, her grip on the wheel loosening just a hair. “I’m just…so fucking annoyed with Jasper, he couldn’t handle being fired professionally so he decided to fuck with my one chance of making a better life for my s-…for Aden.” She shakes her head, placing a hand over Clarke’s.
“Lexa, just trust me, okay?” The blonde smiles encouragingly, carefully threading their fingers together. “We’re in this together, I’m not backing down, I want what’s best for Aden too, he’s such a sweet kid.” She chuckles, thinking about the child’s antics.
“I do trust you, Clarke, that’s what’s terrifying.” Lexa says, the words barely audible as they pass her lips. There’s a short pause before the brunette is clearing her throat. “I mean…Thank you.” She covers up, biting the inside of her cheek.
Clarke nods slightly, allowing the brunette to think she hadn't heard. “Don't thank me, helping people is kind of what I do.” She smiles, squeezing the older woman’s hand. “Now why don’t we head to my place so I can change and give you your clothes back?”
Lexa nods as she pauses at a red light, running her free hand through her hair. “Yeah, of course, just tell me where to go,” She replies, wondering just where the blonde lives and has to keep her face straight as she thinks of a small apartment in an odd neighborhood.
“I actually don’t live too far from your place, I’m off Riverside, managed to get an apartment with a nice view of the park actually,” Clarke chuckles softly, eyes trained on the dashboard as she speaks.
“Really? Had I known you were only five minutes away, I would have paid you a visit sooner,” Lexa smirks as they continue their drive, her fingers tapping against the wheel. “Then again, I could have just raided your file, so that’s my own fault.”
Clarke can feel her cheeks burn at the thought of Lexa popping up announced at her door and isn’t sure how she feels about it all. “I mean, we’re usually stuck at the office, why bother looking up my address,” She quips, a slight smile on her lips.
The brunette shrugs slightly, but doesn’t respond beyond squeezing the other woman’s hand. The rest of the short drive is finished in a comfortable silence, apart from Clarke pointing out the turn Lexa needed to take and which apartment building it was.
“Drop Ship Apartments?” Lexa asks, snorting at the name as she parks the car, glancing up at the red bricked building. “Sounds reassuring.”
“Oh, shut up, not everyone can live in the Tower,” Clarke retorts, patting her pockets to make sure she has everything before grinning at the other woman. “You can come up if you’d like, it’s a little smaller than yours and honestly it’s probably a mess, but…”
“I’d love to come up,” Lexa replies a little too quickly, her cheeks burning as she catches a sparkle in Clarke’s oceanic eyes. “If only to get my clothes back and maybe some ice, my face is starting to ache, since someone decided they wanted to try and kill me.”
The blonde rolls her eyes even as she’s getting out of the car, stretching slightly. “Hush, it was an accident,” She murmurs, moving to the entrance, punching in the code before holding the door open for her boss. “After you, miss Woods.”
Lexa raises a brow at the blonde as she passes into the warm lobby, shaking her head a bit before taking in the room. Smooth, brightly polished beige tile covers the floor, the walls a lovely shade of chocolate brown with stock photos in brightly colored frames along them. It’s warm and welcoming and not at all what she had been expecting. “I like it,” she murmurs, allowing Clarke to lead her toward the elevator.
“My parents helped me pick it out, we almost chose the Tower, but it didn’t seem as homey when you first walked in,” Clarke explains as they ride up to her floor. She’s pulling her keys out as soon as the doors open and is turning left before Lexa really knows what’s going on.
The blonde is nearly down the hall when she stops at a door labeled 214, the door is unlocked and opened by the time Lexa makes it down the hall and Clarke is already inside, leaving the brunette to close and lock the door.
The living area is a bit smaller than her own, fitting a rather large leather couch and a small recliner, there’s a TV on the wall and a small coffee table housing a gaming system and a cable box sits in from of it. Her eyes move to the kitchen, the bar is covered in papers and there’s a cup full of what looks like cloudy purple water, the sink is about half full of dishes and there’s a pizza box on top of the stove.
She can hear Clarke in the other room and decides to be nosy, moving toward the bar to look through the papers scattered there. She smiles at the sketches, fingers brushing against smooth lines and detailed scenes. They’re all of what she assumes is the view Clarke gets of the park, people running, dogs playing, the sparking pond in the middle of it all. Lexa is all too happy to lose herself in the artwork, let herself be consumed by her employee’s craft.
It isn’t until she finds one tucked under a phone book that her breath catches in her throat, eyes falling upon a rough sketch of herself. She’s standing over her desk, arms crossed at some unknown figure. She looks strong, fearless…beautiful.
“Oh, you found my art,” Clarke murmurs, making the brunette jump and all but throw the paper that was in her hand. “Woah, calm down, it’s not a big secret, you already know I love art.”
Lexa’s cheeks are burning as she runs a hand through her hair, heart throbbing in her chest. “I just-I was being nosy, I’m sorry” She sputters out, letting out a soft sigh at how stupid she sounds.
“Lexa, chill, it’s not a big deal,” Clarke chuckles softly as she walks passed to rummage through the kitchen. She finds a zipper bag before moving to the freezer, packing the plastic bag full of ice before handing it over to the older woman.
Lexa is quiet as she takes the offered ice pack, pressing it to her nose gingerly, letting out a soft sigh. “I’m still sorry; it’s just, your work is so amazing, how you haven’t already been in a gallery is beyond me.”
Clarke chuckles as she goes to pick up the drawing her boss had discarded, smiling fondly at the half-finished sketch. “It’s hard to impress here in New York,” She replies, settling on the other bar stool, laying the paper down. “I drew this shortly after our last corporate meeting, the way you take charge is just…astounding, I couldn’t not draw you.”
Clarke is quiet for a moment as she debates on how creepy that must sound, but before she can back track or apologize at all, Lexa is smiling, fingers tracing over her portrait. “I’m…I don’t even have words for how I feel about this, you’re wonderful, truly.”
The blonde blushes, smothering a giggle with her hands as she hides her face. “I’m really not, I was just inspired,” She shakes her head, peeking between fingers to find that soft smile being directed at her. “If you smiled like that at work, people might think you were having a stroke.”
Lexa snorts softly, flipping her the finger before turning back to the drawing. “May I keep this?” She asks softly, already picking up the page.
Clarke shrugs a shoulder, finally relaxing, back resting against the bar. “If you really want it, sure,” She consents with a soft chuckle, running a hand through her hair.
Lexa nods, laying it next to her arm as she readjusts the ice on her face. “So, tell me, how are your parents going to react when you tell them I’m your boss?” She asks, if only for a change of subject.
The blonde’s brow furrows for a moment while she imagines the facial expressions of her parents, a slight smile on her lips. “Well, my dad will probably commend me for ‘aiming high’ and my mother…I’m sure at some point she’ll ask me if I’m with you for money or job security,” Clarke lets out a halfhearted chuckle as if it were a joke, but she knows it’s not. “I love her to death, but she’s always been sort of bitter about me not going to med school, so…”
Lexa is quiet, internally cringing at the artist’s words, her heart clenching painfully when she thinks about how this rouse may end up and how Clarke’s mother’s words hypothetical or not, would technically be true. “For what it’s worth, even if this wasn’t-if this were…” She trails off, biting her lip. If this were real, I’d be the one aiming high…you’re far too good for me.
Clarke shoves the brunette’s shoulder gently, smiling despite the pounding of her pulse. “Don’t worry, I can handle my parents, question is, can you?”
The editor chuckles at this, leaning back against the bar. “Have you met me? I’m a fucking delight,” Lexa teases, grinning when Clarke starts to laugh. It’s a warm, full body laugh that has Lexa wanted to just drown in the sound.
“Whatever you say, Commander,” The blonde grins, glancing at her phone when it vibrates, shaking her head a bit when she sees it’s a text from Raven. “Oh Jesus, apparently, we’re getting company,” She murmurs, shooting off a reply only for the buzzer to sound.