AFTER THE STORM
Pairing: Rafe Cameron x OC
Available on: Wattpad
Summary: Softie!Rafe all grown up slowly falls for chronically ill FMC, who he works with. Slowburn, fluff with some spice later. AU where the treasure hunting never led anywhere and the characters grew up
I knock on the door of apartment 2B, hoping with everything in me that it's the right door even though I triple checked. The lock audibly shifts and when the door swings open, my heart feels like it skips a beat. The sight of blonde hair and brown eyes sets it into rhythm again.
“Jess Chapman?” She asks, offering a friendly smile. I nod.
“Sarah Cameron, right?” I feel my shoulders relax.
“The one and only,” she poses as if I'm holding a camera, getting a chuckle out of both of us and easing the awkwardness. “Welcome to my- I mean, OUR humble abode!” She ushers me in.
A quick tour is all it takes for the two bedroom apartment, but it feels perfect. A nice sized kitchen. A living room with a soft blue couch and a huge TV. And everything was clean outside of some clutter here and there. First impressions seemed like Sarah would be a great roommate, and I would be the one trying to keep the pace.
“So, what brings you to Durham?” Sarah asks once the movers are out, helping me unpack my boxes.
“Job opportunity. I got a position at Elite Financials.”
“What? No way! My brother works there!” Sarah squeals.
“Oh, awesome! What's his name? Maybe I'll see him around.” If her brother was anywhere as nice as she seemed, it would make the new job a little easier.
“Rafe. You might not, since that place is so huge. But if you see him, say hey. He's a little intense but he's…” she trails off, biting her lip and searching for the right word. “Professional.” Her warm brown eyes meet mine again with an expression that seems like she hopes that's good enough.
“Yeah I figure most people at an accounting firm would be.” I smirk, and she chuckles. “Where do you work?”
“Oh, I’m at corporate for Plec, that fashion boutique downtown. I'm in marketing. Do you have to be in by 9 on Monday? I’d love to show you this local coffee shop that's amazing.”
Sarah gets Chinese takeout delivered for both of us in the evening, seemingly determined to show me all her local favorites. I certainly don't mind, since I love finding new places to eat and it makes me feel like we are getting along.
With my bed assembled and ready for me by the time I'm exhausted, I feel good about the move to Durham. It's far from home, but it feels like a fresh start. My first real, adult job after passing the CPA too. It was intimidating for a lot of reasons, mainly because of my health, but I tried to hang on to the feeling of excitement.
Here I could be a new me. Someone with more of a social life. Someone with decent insurance who could afford to see some specialists, and had the money to take better care of herself. But I knew one day I'd have a flare, and someone like Sarah or someone from work would probably be around to see me like that. And that's really what scares me.
Especially with this job. There was a probationary period of 90 days, meaning I couldn't be calling out left and right just because I was having some bad pain days. I'd really have to push through, despite the long car ride and change of routine being the perfect conditions to trigger a flare. Swallowing back the nerves, I clutch my old teddy bear and try to get some sleep before my first day on the job. I was going to need as much sleep as I could get.
The 5 AM alarm was still brutal anyway. I changed into my blouse and trousers, quickly taking my wavy hair into a low bun. With a little bit of makeup I felt professional enough to head out, Sarah meeting me at the door.
“Good morning, roomie,” she beams.
“Nice suit.” I admire her baby blue two piece fitted suit. It looked so crisp, like she had just pulled it off the rack. “Thanks! Big meeting today. If you ever need a good suit, I can get you a discount at Plec.” She winks at me, and I feel myself smiling.
“I might have to take you up on that, mine are pretty old.” Suddenly, the clothes I do own feel too frumpy and casual.
I try not to let it get to my head as we grab some iced lattes downstairs and go out separate ways, but my heart is pounding by the time I enter the Elite Financials building. Attempting to steady my walk and my breathing, I scan my badge and take the elevator to the second to last floor.
I'm greeted with rows of gray and white cubicles on a sea of dark blue carpet. A few people are in the conference room on my left, but most are already at their desks. Quiet. Sipping their coffee and checking their emails.
I make my way to the supervisors office, hoping with everything in me that I'm not making a ton of noise. As soon as I see the nameplate of David Terry, I knock on the half open door.
“You must be Jessica!” He gets to his feet with a big, bright smile. He looks younger than I expected. Icy blue eyes. Hair shaved close to his head. And insanely tall. He would be intimidating if it wasn't for his positive demeanor.
“Nice to meet you. I'll take you to your cubicle.” He leads and I follow, trying not to stare at the people already at work who are surely staring at me, the new girl. “Here you are. Looks like Hannah is not in yet. Rafe, can you show her around?”
My ears perk up at the name. That had to be Sarah’s brother, right? A man only slightly shorter than Mr. Terry comes into view. His hair is also shaved close, his eyes a mix of blue and green. Despite the similarities between the two, Rafe immediately seems much colder. I stiffen.
“Jessica, this is Rafe Cameron.” Mr. Terry introduces us.
“You can call me Jess.” I try to keep my voice even as I extend my hand.
“Nice to meet you.” His voice level, his handshake firm.
“Rafe, why don't you get her system accesses set up? Hopefully Hannah will be in by then and can show her the rest.”
“You got it, boss.” Rafe clicks his fingers, dragging a seat next to my desk.
“Funny enough,” I clear my throat, feeling like it's almost foreign to speak. Being new makes me feel like they should be doing all the talking, not me. “I think my new roommate is your sister.”
“Oh, Sarah? Small world.” That gets a hint of a smile out of him. But he quickly goes back to business. He walks me through the system access forms like he's done this a million times, which he probably has. When a red-headed girl shows up at the cubicle in front of me, he seems relieved to hand me off.
“Hi, Jessica!” The red headed girl immediately perks up the office.
“It's Jess.” Rafe mumbles. “You got it from here, Hannah?”
“Yup,” The girl replies, unpacking her tote.
“Cool. Have a nice rest of your day.” He tells me, scooting his chair away to the cubicle across from me. Great. He's the only person I can directly see, and so far seems to be the most closed-off. And mildly annoyed to have to do anything with the new employee. I guess as long as he is easy to work with, this should be fine. Eventually.
“Hope you like Excel.” Hannah jokes as she takes a seat next to me.
Thankfully, training doesn't seem too bad. And Hannah is very sweet, even taking me out to lunch at a cafe nearby. The rest of my afternoon consists of online training that Hannah shows me, so that gives me some alone time. Until someone taps my desk. I turn to see another pair of blue eyes, but darker and unfamiliar this time.
“Had to come see the new girl for myself,” He smirks like it's the only way he knows how to smile, his eyes bright like he's plotting something. With his dark hair slicked back and his button down sleeves rolled up, it was like he owned the place. He was clearly confident, but with a vibe that he was a little unserious.
“I'm Colin, nice to meet you.”
“Jess.” I try my best to smile normally, feeling like my arm is gonna fly off if I have to do one more handshake as he shakes my hand quickly.
“If you need any help, I'm like an Excel wizard. And I can code.” He smiles a little wider, and his teeth are so white I wonder if they're all fake. I hear Rafe chuckle.
“Don't oversell yourself, Anderson.” Rafe mutters.
“Oh, please. I've helped you out so many times, Cameron.” Colin waves him away before turning his attention back to me. “Seriously. Feel free to ask me for help if you need it.”
I thank him as he walks to his desk, which happens to be the one in front of Rafe. It makes me a little more comfortable here now that the four people I've been introduced to sit close enough.
“You can also just ask me for help.” Hannah peers over the cubicle divider, her voice low. She offers me an understanding smile. “Colin just wants to feel like he knows everything. But I should be able to help you with most of these reports.”
“Got it.” I smile back at her genuinely.
By the end of the first day, the florescent lights were starting to drive me nuts. I still had one more online training class to take. The other three have already gone and said goodbye, the office eerily quiet. I make a mental note to show up even earlier tomorrow. The scheduled hours were 9 to 5, but it seemed like everyone here showed up earlier to leave earlier. And avoiding the traffic seemed like a great idea.
As soon as I get home, I tell Sarah that I met her brother and about my first day. I can't help but feel happy as she seems genuinely excited for me. We eat our leftovers and gossip about our coworkers, watching a random reality show until we should really get to bed.
One day down, and I feel like I might like it here. Maybe it was just because Sarah seemed kind and I had a shiny new job, but hope is a powerful thing.
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