@hergentlepersuasion / continued from here
as presley’s deft hands retrieved the most adorable mug grace had seen in good while from the communal mug cupboard (which also housed some particularly horrendous ceramic creations), a gentle grin found the older blonde’s lips. she liked the tiny surprises the presley presented her with. a star wars appreciation? adorable. porgs? more adorable. staring at the coffee machine while it shat out hot bean water instead of acknowledging grace? most adorable.
spoken too soon, however.
presley’s question almost took grace aback, but after giving it a millisecond of critical thought she came to the conclusion that, yes, that was a valid question for the other to have asked. grace quirked her head to the side, her teeth capturing her lower lip to chew on it thoughtfully. why did she like annoying presley so much? was it juvenile? yes. was it because she was ridiculously attracted to her, body and mind? absolutely yes. perhaps – but grace would never admit she let herself think such a thing – it was because it was easier for her to tease presley than it was to drop her troublemaker facade and ask her to hang out after work like a normal person would.
she was about to open her mouth to respond when a new question was proposed. coffee? grace’s shoulders relaxed and she turned to rest her hip against the counter, now fully facing presley so she could get a good look at her. she took in her crossed arms, the bitten lower lip and the shining of her eyes as she turned to look up into grace’s – whose heart skipped a beat at the eye contact. before she could give it a second thought, grace’s hand reached out to secure presley’s mug and bring it to her lips. she gently blew on it, eyes not leaving her colleague’s, and took a slow, quiet sip. she couldn’t help the hint of a smirk that curled the corners of her lips upwards as she replaced the mug to the coffee machine.
“that’s enough coffee for me, i think,” grace said, soft-spoken. they were only two feet away from each other, after all. “and as for your other question… because it’s fun.”
presley found herself caught between her kind nature and the utter frustration she felt around grace, so questioning it seemed natural. if she questioned it, maybe she wouldn’t notice that the amount it bothered her was a little abnormal. maybe she wouldn’t notice the feelings bubbling underneath every irritated comment or angry frown with her lips turned down. the offer of coffee, however, was pure polite presley. as if she could stand there and not offer it. despite how she acted with the other woman, she was anything if not courteous.
the thing was, she didn’t expect her polite question to result in grace reaching out and taking the mug from her unexpected hands as she stared at her in disbelief. “um...” she wasn’t really going to drink from her cup, was she? surely, she wasn’t and yet presley couldn’t bring herself to reach out and snatch it back, frozen on the spot. her stomach seemed to fall out of her ass as she watched her do just what she had worried she would, as if it was nothing at all. her lips parted in surprise and she just stared for a moment, trying to figure out what to say since her brain had apparently decided to short circuit.
“it’s not fun.” is all that came out, looking at her mug and then back at grace. she felt unsure how to react, maybe it was just getting to her a little too much. and she needed coffee. she really needed it, so that was why she scooped the mug back up and cradled it in her hands. “it’s not fun for me.”
at that she turned away again, bringing the cup to her lips and regretting it immediately, since it kind of felt like she was burning her tongue when she sipped it. with nowhere else to justifiably go, she returned to her chair and pulled out her phone so she could look at that and pretend she hadn’t said anything.
