It's just Pretend | clexa AU

chapter nine

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Clarke left after they'd finished the second Despicable Me movie together with their pasta (and slightly burned tomato sauce). It was around 6 p .m. by then and she had made sure to thank Lexa again for all the favors. Lexa just waved her off and sheepishly mumbled a 'thank you for staying with me' like she was embarrassed of being afraid of thunder.

Considering the hot, badass CEO with all glares and soul-reaching stares, fine suits, silk and silver rings, it might've been a little odd to know such stuff about Lexa. Not only the thunderstorm thing, but the soft being she actually was, all kind and adorable, plus the fact that simple handholding could make the certainty and confidence dissipate entirely.

She wondered how she hadn't gotten to know Lexa that way when they'd worked together a little closer in college, but she supposed it was different to meet in libraries to work on projects together and to watch Minion movies while cuddling up on the couch.

It was still raining when she stepped out of Lexa's apartment building, but not as much as it had over the day and especially the thunder had lessened. On her way home, driving in the little red car she had bought a while ago, she put on some music and leaned back, thinking about the following week, following Friday when they would already be in California, and her fake relationship with Lexa.

Not getting anything good out of her thoughts by the time she'd turned the key in her lock, she let her bag with the notebook inside fall to the floor carelessly and went into the kitchen to make herself a coffee. It was no comparison to Lexa's, but Clarke had grown to love her cheap one too.

Then she showered and changed, cooked herself some quick dinner and let herself sink into the worn-out, soft couch standing in the middle of her living room. Her laptop in her lap, she finished some work and replied to a couple of e-mails until it was 8 p.m. and she decided to leave the rest for her office on Monday.

With a glass of wine, she made her way into the little room that had she'd transformed into her art studio and sat down at a with paints covered easel. She put a blank canvas on the wood, sipping her wine and putting it on the just as color covered little table. It was supposed to be a bedside table, but Clarke had made it her brushes and wine holder.

The wine wasn't nearly as good as Lexa's, but Clarke didn't mind that too much either. She focused on her canvas, starting to paint a little bird with black strokes that transformed into messes of color. The floor had truly seen better times by the time she fell asleep on her chair.

-

Monday in the office was survivable. The weekend had stayed rainy and cool and Clarke's office was nice to be in without the heat. Her scribbled clothing designs piled on her desk as the files on her laptop were sent to their employee responsible for advertisement. She sent possible ideas for said ads to Lexa right afterwards so she could look over them and decide which were acceptable or could be through editing.

The only problem on that Monday was the motherfucking clock.

It kept ticking so slowly and then it was such an ugly grey, Clarke had to carry her chair over to the wall it hung on and take the damn thing off. It only frustrated her anyway.

Of course Lexa had to choose that moment to come in and almost scare Clarke to death. "Goodness Lexa, knock or something."

"I have, actually. Knocked. I came to look over the taxes for this month with you," Lexa said and it was her expensive-sounding voice again with the make-up letting her face glow and the also expensive suit complimenting her body so well.

"Alrighty, my office is nicely cool again these days," Clarke replied and took her chair back, offering Lexa to sit on the one across her desk.

"Is something wrong with the clock?"