The door to Chase's office opened, Ellery looked up from her files and looked at his back. As the door closed their eyes met and Ellery quickly looked away. The events from last night still fresh in her memory. She sighed and watched her hands shake a little, the memory from that night had worked its way back up from the pits of her mind and had haunted her dreams. The only thing Ellery was good at was disguising a nightmare while sleeping. She closed her eyes and did her breathing exercises.
She didn't notice the door to her office opened and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt someone breathing down her neck, she swung her stapler at whoever it was.
Chase grabbed her wrist and looked Ellery in her eyes, "You're clearly not okay." Ellery inhaled and puffed up her chest, not breathing out. Trying to control the fear that whirled up, "You think? You went corpse on me!" Chase raised an eyebrow, "I went what on you?" Ellery swallowed, "Zombie. You went zombie on me." Chase sighed, "Well I am a zombie and it's your fault." Ellery let go of the stapler which hit Chase's foot, "Oops, my hand slipped. It must be due to your face." Chase glared at her. Ellery frowned and with the most innocent voice she asked, "Did no one tell you-you're ugly? Then they must be very kind to your face." Chase narrowed his eyes, "At least I don't look like a candy store." Ellery scoffed, "And I'm not still holding my wrist up." Chase looked at Ellery's hand which she waved at him. Chase sighed and let go, "Get to work miss Riser." Ellery held her nose up and turned her head away, "So uptight." Chase left her office and Ellery picked up her stapler. Slamming a staple in a post-it and copying the numbers from the files into the computer file.
When the files were copied, she brought them back to Chase's office. She knocked, barely being able to hold them all in one arm, she walked in and she watched how Chase suppressed a laugh when he saw her. Ellery dumped the files on his desk, "Get that smile off your face, Graves. I can talk to the chief of police and this friendly arrangement is gone." Chase shrugged, "Good, no more crayon vomit." Ellery narrowed her eyes, "That also means, no special treatment when you need us." Chase looked at her, she made a point. Chase sat straight in his chair and sighed. Ellery reached over to grab another stack of files but Chase stopped her, "Not those." Ellery noticed how close he sounded and she could feel his breath on her neck. Ellery looked down at him and she looked up and she let go of the stack of files. Chase swallowed and handed her a bigger stack, Ellery groaned. Chase chuckled, "If you can't handle it Crayon Box, I can ask someone else to do it." Ellery snorted and grabbed the stack, "I can handle it." She walked to her office and started on the next pile.
At the end of her day, Ellery walked to Chase's office and knocked. Entering and dumping the last file on his desk. He wasn't inside and she didn't plan on snooping but his work schedule laid on his desk. Or so she thought. She looked at the single letter written on today and when she wondered who or what it might be, his phone lit up. She glanced at the screen and a text caught her eye:
'Still on for tonight?'
The sender was a woman called Sarah. Ellery rolled her eyes and looked up, her blood chilled and her heart briefly stopped. Busted. Chase stood in the doorway of his office, "Do you find it interesting?" Ellery cracked a smile and walked towards him to exit the room and said, "Don't keep Sarah waiting." Chase grabbed her arm and pulled her back in his office and closed the door. Ellery looked at him, "What? Now you don't have a snappy comment? 'Don't keep your TV waiting', nothing?" Chase looked at her and his eyes briefly lowered to her lips, Ellery bit her lower lip. Chase blinked as if he got pulled back to reality, "Don't snoop Crayon Box." Ellery frowned, "Don't call me Crayon Box." Chase smiled, "Why not Crayon Box?" Ellery balled her fists, "Do NOT call me Crayon Box, you stupid... Stupid stick! Always being so uptight! Live a little!" Chase pulled her to the side and pinned her against the wall, "Uptight?" Ellery nodded, "Poor Sarah. She'll be bored in a few hours. No, I'll give it twenty minutes." Chase's eyes went from her eyes to her lips and back, "You sure about that?" Ellery smirked, "With a guy like you, anyone is bound to get bored." Chase leaned closer and Ellery felt his breath on her neck, it tickled her skin, "Really?" he mumbled. Ellery froze, she had no idea what to do but her heart started racing. Chase smiled as her hand reached for his head on instinct, "Little Crayon Box." Ellery grabbed a hand full of his hair and pulled him backwards, "Do NOT call me that!" She stomped towards the door and said, "I'm reporting you!"
Chase chuckled, not believing a word she said.
Ellery logged off and walked out, walking to her car and driving off to meet Peyton and Liv for some well-deserved girl time. She longed for a glass of wine and letting off steam. She parked her car, locked it and made her way to Liv's apartment. She dumped her bag and coat as she walked to the couch and sat down, "Can you believe it? Chase Graves has the nerve to call me Crayon Box. Not only that, he totally ignored my personal space! Why on earth is he all up in my face and personal space for no reason!" Liv and Peyton shared a look and walked to the couch. Peyton handed Ellery a glass of wine, "Maybe he likes you?" Ellery snorted, "Yeah right. And I'm the pope." Liv took a sip of her glass, "Ellery, Peyton could be right. When Clive and I visited Fillmore Graves this morning, he was looking at your desk in concern." Ellery looked at Liv and pointed her finger at her, "That's because he considers me an employee. Chase Graves is an ass and he knows it!" Peyton smiled, "Maybe you like him?" Ellery nearly spilled her wine, "No! He can die and I won't shed a single tear!" Liv stood up and grabbed some snacks. She put them down and Ellery stuffed her mouth full, pouring it all down with a gulp of wine. She sighed and said, "I'm reporting him to HR tomorrow morning." Peyton sighed, "Liv told me about what he did. Maybe you two need to team building or something." Ellery raised an eyebrow, "Paintballing is the only thing those Fillmore soldiers want to do. Guns, guns, guns. No thanks." Liv smiled, "Well, Peyton and I are going to a party Friday night. You can come with us." Ellery put her glass of wine down, "What's the dress code?" Peyton shared a look with Liv before saying, "Formal." Ellery groaned, "I think my blue gown is ruined. Some dude put out his cigarette near an open window one time and my dress has burn holes." Peyton looked at her, "Don't you have other dresses?" Ellery looked at her knees, "Well. I have this one dress..." Liv smiled, "It's settled then! We're all going to the party!" Ellery sighed, hoping she wouldn't have to see Chase at the party.
But alas, as Friday came and the girls got ready to go out, Ellery got a call from Chase. Saying he would be out and wanted her to finish up some paperwork. Ellery flat our rejected and told him she had plans.
At the venue, Ellery grabbed a glass of champagne and looked around, they had dragged her to a bar and at the last minute, Peyton had said she didn't feel like going to a formal event. So the girls were now spending money on cocktails in cocktail dresses. Peyton looked at Ellery and said, "Liv once came here for a case. She saw Chase here." Liv shifted in her seat, "It's a hotel bar and I met him at the fundraiser." Ellery raised an eyebrow, "What were you doing here with Chase?" Liv looked away, "I ... kind of, slept with him." Ellery gasped, "No way! You and Chase?" Liv smiled in response. Ellery laughed.
"Enjoying your drinks ladies?" A voice asked. Ellery swore and looked up, "Shit." she repeated. Liv and Peyton stared at Chase. Ellery grimaced, "Where's Sarah?" Chase looked over his shoulder at the bar, the girls followed his gaze and a blonde, looking like a model, waved at them. Ellery sighed, of course, he would go out with the perfect woman." Chase laid a folder on Ellery's desk, "We're going on a business retreat. The whole company. Or at least two sections. I'll see you on Monday." He walked away and Ellery looked at the folder, "Can you believe he just did that?" Liv and Peyton looked at the folder after Peyton grabbed it. Peyton whistled, "That's not bad. Quite expensive actually." Ellery sighed, "Well I'm not going." Liv and Peyton looked at her and said in unison "You are."
The rest of the night went well. Ellery left before they did and made it halfway through the parking lot before she heard a fight. She looked at the direction it came from and saw Chase and his date, Sarah. Fighting. She walked up to Chase as Sarah left. He heard her and the red eyes greeted her. Ellery kept walking towards him and grabbed his face between her hands. His breathing was fast and Ellery looked at him, not entirely sure what she was doing, "Chase. Chase it's me. It's Ellery. Calm down. Please." Chase kept staring at her and his breathing slowed down. His eyes returned to normal and he quickly removed her hands from his face. He got into his car and drove off with screeching tires. Ellery stood in the parking lot, stunned. She drove home and didn't know entirely what had happened. She looked at her phone once inside her apartment and dialled the number again.
'Hi! It's Vivian. I can't come to the phone right now, please leave a message!'