Stay Gold (Clexa AU)

Stay Gold

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Grounders already has a line of customers out the door, and Lexa can't help but glance at her watch and groan internally. She has a deposition in forty-five minutes, and it's going to be a grueling day. She's going to need a serious caffeine boost if she has any hopes of not decking the tool of a man on the opposing counsel within the first five minutes of interacting with him.

Unfortunately, her options are limited. Polis is a small town, and Grounders is the only coffee shop around, so it's either suck it up and wait in line or end up in jail for assault. Lexa is a damn good attorney, but she somehow thinks, "but he was an ass, Your Honor," won't quite cut it.

Coffee it is.

Fifteen emails, one BOGO scented candle order, and a vulgar text from Anya detailing the previous night with her new girlfriend (and seriously, are the cat emojis really necessary?) later, Lexa finally makes it to the counter.

"Hey, Lexa!" the barista greets her with a big dopey grin.

"Good morning, Aden." she returns kindly.

He's been working the opening shift at Grounders before school to save up for a car, and Lexa can still barely believe he's old enough to drive. He really shot up over the summer, his baby face becoming more defined and now sporting a bit of patchy stubble. It seems like only yesterday that she was ruffling his mop of strawberry-blonde hair and running soccer drills to prepare him for his first middle school tryout.

Lexa played all the way through undergrad and always loved helping out with the junior league after she moved back home, despite the fact that volunteering in the first place may have started out as an excuse to hang out with the pretty new coach (it definitely did).

"Busy saving the world today?" Aden asks, bringing her back to the present from her trip down memory lane.

Lexa can't help but chuckle wryly, "Right, if by saving the world you actually mean trying to not perish tragically from boredom before noon, then yes."

Aden looks around the shop dramatically before cupping his hand to the side of his mouth and leaning in to speak in a stage whisper, "Need the Lexa special?"

She purses her lips to suppress her grin as he waits expectantly with one eyebrow raised.

"You know me too well." Lexa relents no longer holding back her grin. She then squints at him in faux seriousness and adds, "All the way, kid. And no skimping on the good stuff."

"You got it!" Aden says enthusiastically with a clap. "One full-fat plain latte with honey and an extra shot of espresso coming right up."

Usually, Lexa wouldn't indulge in the milk and sugar, but she is truly dreading this deposition. At least Gustus will be with her today.

God, Charles Pike really is an ass.

Lexa pulls out her phone to check her email one last time as she steps out of the way to wait on her order. Out of the corner of her eye, she catches a flash of blonde hair. She glances up from her screen to find a woman, roughly the same age as herself, maybe a bit younger, has sidled up to wait beside her. They're forced to stand closer than would be typically comfortable due to the high volume of customers, and Lexa tries to ignore the occasional waft of coconut shampoo competing against the smell of roasting coffee beans.

The woman is objectively attractive with her blonde beach waves and curvy figure. She's wearing black leggings with stark white sneakers to match her oversized white tee, layered underneath an open green canvas button-up, sleeves rolled loosely with a watch on her right wrist and a chunky bracelet on the other. Her hair is held back from her face haphazardly by a pair of aviators resting on her head.