It... it wasn't bad.
She had been dreading it, and Jake even had to stop her from turning around and walking right back out the elevator they just stepped in and never looking back.
And of course the suspense of being in an elevator going up to the 8th floor with lots of awful, normal people that she was expected to mingle with wasn't doing her any favors. Not a single one.
But after they arrived and settled in a bit more, she realized something.
She was smiling. And laughing. And talking. She was actually chatting with her coworkers and having a good time doing it. She didn't feel awkward, out of place, self conscious, and utterly miserable like she usually did at 'casual' functions that usually felt anything but to her.
It was nice. It was actually really nice.
She had her arm wrapped around Jake in one of those sideway hugs the whole time, but she was actually enjoying interacting with her coworkers at a social event. She didn't feel awkward, she was completely comfortable, and the most surprising thing of all-
she was having fun.
"Ugh, this is so boring. You actually like doing your taxes, don't you?" Jake teased her, spreading out the pile of papers on her desk and making a mess of all the sheets with numbers and letters and god so many numbers. He knew he shouldn't be teasing her after begging her to sneak him back into her office, but he couldn't help it.
He looked back up to Amy who was just rolling her eyes at him, and smiled.
Before she could scold him for making a mess of her desk he carefully stacked her papers back up that he just spread out like a deck of cards, gathered them up in a neat little pile and straightened them on her desk.
"Seriously, how does your brain not go numb just looking at these?" He asked her.
"How can someone who hates numbers so much be trusted with educating the future generations? I weep for the students in your class, Jake," she taunted, sauntering over to her desk and budging him out of the way so she could put a paper clip to organize the paperwork that he just reminded her she had forgotten to clip together (which was really no fault but her own).
"Hey, I'm fine with numbers!" He whined at her scathing insult. "And I'm a great teacher!" (He protested only secondly)
"Long division is where I tap out. That's why I teach 3rd grade. Leave that to the 4th grade teachers. Actually, I used to teach 4th grade anyway, and I was fantastic at teaching long division. And I'm the best goddamn phonics teacher in the world if you were lucky enough to be in my class back when I was teaching second grade, so… hey, are you even listening?"
"Not really," she turned back to him, a devilish smile playing at her lips.
Having budged her boyfriend out of the way while straightening her papers meant that the back of her thighs met the edge of her desk when she turned around to face him, and Jake was practically crowding her in already.
One look at the really quite sexual smirk on her lips and his eyes widened, shooting back up to the look in hers, and she raised her eyebrow in a challenge when he got exactly what she had in mind
When he got what she was thinking right now.
And in a split second Jake was pressed against her, completely crowding her in back against her desk, the edge of which was digging into the back of her thighs before he lifted her up so her ass was balancing precariously on the edge, one of his legs pressed between hers.
"You're so mean," he murmured, his lips against hers, but not kissing quite yet.
"Only because I know you like it so much," Amy slid her hand up the back of his neck, curled her fingers in his hair, then pulled him into her so she could give him the kiss of his life.
"Okay, okay," she chuckled into their kiss, giving him a light shove before things progressed too far for the work environment. Jake's hand was still resting on her upper thigh as he snuck back in for one, two, three quick kisses that he stole away from her, drawing an honest to god giggle from her lips.
"Alright, mister. You're going to rumple my clothes," she chided him, and finally he backed up enough for her to hop down from her desk. Amy scuffed down her ruffled pantsuit, straightened the collar of her blouse.
"Ready to get back to it? Or do you still need my hot body for motivation before we head back to face the music and mingle?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"I think I'll be able to last," Amy scoffed (affectionately though), grabbing his hand and dragging him back to the party.
"Oh, really? What's her name?" Jake asked, right in the middle of a conversation with one of her coworkers. His arm was warm, wrapped around Amy's waist, hugging her hip really, as she leaned into him. It really was nice letting Jake do all the talking. He was so good at it. For one, he was actually interested. In what the people he was talking to were saying. He wasn't just making polite conversation, and people could tell. That he was so incredibly genuine.
It was interesting- nice, even- watching it. Watching him interact with a bunch of people who weren't her for an extended period of time. Of course she and her boyfriend went out and did stuff together, but having dinner together in a full restaurant was different than something like this. Whenever they went to the mall because a book that Amy had been eagerly awaiting just came out was a whole lot different from an office party or dinner party at some social event or another.
Yes, she really liked not having to talk or even bother trying to make conversation and just got to wrap her arm around his hip and snuggle into Jake while he kept chatting someone's ear off.
Where she could be quiet and comfortable.
She really liked that.
But she also liked getting to observe Jake being his little social butterfly self and being all smiley and genuinely having a good time.
"Sam. Sam Perish. She's in 5th grade this year with Ms. Helms. She can hardly wait for 6th grade. She's had such great teachers at Harvel, and she loves Ms. Helms, but she can't wait for middle school, you know?" Gene laughed.
"Trust me, I know," Jake shook his head with a chuckle. He tried to see if he could put a face to the name Sam Perish. All things considered, it really wasn't that unlikely to find that Amy worked with someone who was a parent to a kid that went to Jake's school. She had definitely never been in Jake's class, but he was sure the name sounded familiar for a reason. "Wait, did she have Williams last year?"
"Yeah," Gene nodded.
"I remember Sam," he grinned. "She had reading buddies with my class last year. Her buddy always got so excited and would interrupt her with all these questions, and she was always so patient with him, explaining that they hadn't gotten to that part in the story yet, and that if they kept reading they would find out all the answers together. Aw, I'm glad to hear she's doing well. You should tell her Mr. Peralta said hi."
"Thanks, I will. She's definitely going to get a kick hearing about how I saw one of the teachers from her school at my work party. And excited that you said hi, so that'll for sure be the first thing I do when I get home tonight. Thanks again."
AN: So, cause I'm the luckiest guy in the world, I broke my leg the same week of college finals back in December. And 7 days before I moved over 300 miles away. So that's where I've been lately.
(I'm not even caught up on all the b99 episodes- the most recent one I've watched was the Venue)
I know this chapter ends rather abruptly, but I wasn't planning on making this a two part chapter. But I realized I was definitely going to have to split up everything I had planned for the office party, and so that took a bit of adjusting. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit jarring.
Hope you all have a good day.
