Felines, Frappe and Flirtini
(A TriChapter Supercorp Fanfic Work In Progress)
Alex decided to get up and talk directly to the assistant. “Hey, Lena? Hi! Remember me?” She greeted with a smile and a short wave of hand.
Querl sank uncomfortably to his seat and swallowed, while staring down the half-empty box of donuts and his lukewarm cup of coffee.
“Alex Danvers, of course!” Lena greeted back and quickly looked away when she noticed Alex’s curious stare on her bruise. “Our new Art Director, how are you finding CatCo so far? Anything I can help you with?” She asked before scowling at the empty coffee pot.
“It’s been a pretty great first 47 days so far.” Alex started as she opened the cupboards where the ground coffee and filters were.
“Thank you. Look at that, a month and a half already? It only felt like two weeks ago when I showed you your new office.” Lena replied while her hands moved swiftly to make a fresh batch of brewed coffee.
“Oh, thank you by the way, for showing me around that day.” Alex responded. “Sorry, I can’t help but notice your…you have a bruise right there. And a scratch wound on our cheek.” Alex pointed at her own forehead, the spot just above her eyebrow. “Is everything okay?”
“It was actually a funny and embarrassing story.” Lena let out a short laugh. “I’m fine though, thank you for asking.”
Alex nodded suspiciously. “You sure? Cause that looks…pretty painful.” She asked with such concern, though she can tell that Lena was telling the truth.
“It pretty much was, yes.” Lena can’t help but smile widely at the memory of how she got that bruise, while she resealed and returned the bag of coffee and paper filters back to the cupboard.
“Okay. So, um…we’re having a night out with my team this Friday, and I was wondering if you would like to…maybe…join us? Just to loosen up a bit, you know?” Alex stammered nervously.
“Sounds fun. What’s the occasion?”
“Oh, nothing…it’s more like a team building thing…”
“But I’m John Jones’ assistant and obviously not part of the creative team.” Lena answered flatly while she stared at the coffee maker, waiting for the drip to finish. “So, I’m sorry but, I can’t.”
“Hmm. What can I possibly do to make you say yes?”
“Oh!” Lena exhaled, a bit surprised when she looked up at Alex. “How direct, for an art director.” She scoffed, yet sounding a little confused.
Alex looked down to her feet and sighed before meeting Lena’s gaze. “Okay, I’m gonna be honest with you.” She started in a lowered voice, leaning in closer to whisper. “I might be new here, but I can tell when a person works way too hard than they should. First in, last out of the office? That’s you.”
Lena paused to squint at her suspiciously. “Is it wrong that I love my job that much?”
“No, but I think you might need a little bit of that happy hour experience.”
Lena hummed while she poured herself a fresh cup of coffee, pretending to sound like she was considering the offer.
“Just to be clear, I’m not trying to hit on you or ask you out on a date. I’m already taken.” Alex clarified. “And I promise you, this is not some kind of setup. This is just a professional, friendly thing that I’d like to try here.”
“I’m really sorry, Danvers. But you already lost me at team building.” Lena clicked her tongue and scrunched her nose as she started marching out of the break room.