A/N: Trying to get through as much as I can guys…Enjoy.
Casey wears a wide smile as she and Alex walk into the office hand in hand. She smiles and waves at Amanda behind the front desk who returns the smile before taking a call. The elevator ride is spent with her head resting on the blonde's shoulder until they reach their desired floor.
"I think I'm going to run to the restroom." Casey says as soon as they step out of the lift.
"Alright. I'll be in my office if you need anything." Alex replies before she gives her lover a quick, chaste kiss to her lips. "Love you."
"Love you too." Casey responds with a school girl like smile before she spins on her heel and heads off towards the ladies' restroom, feeling like she's floating on cloud 9.
As she enters the restroom, she can hear a small amount shuffling, and as she moves further inside, she freezes immediately with her jaw hitting the ground. Her eyes blink rapidly as they take in the sight of her best friend with her hands tangled in Abbie's hair while Abbie has her pressed against the sink of the counter with a thigh between her legs as they are heavily attached at the lips.
"Um…" Casey draws out after a brief moment of stunned silence for having to find her voice where the pair immediately breaks away and snaps their heads in her direction.
"Casey!" Kim exclaims, her voice an awkward three octaves higher than it normally is before she clears her throat and runs her hands through her own tousled her all the while trying to calm her breathing. "What…what are you doing here?"
Casey raises her eyebrows and casts a brief look at a blushing Abbie before turning back to her best friend. "I was going to use the restroom when I saw…" she trails off, before snapping her gaze back to Abbie.
Abbie, who has yet to say anything, awkwardly rubs at the back of her neck before she clears her throat. "Oh, um, I should probably be getting to work. I'll just…" she trails off before turning her attention back to Kim who she approaches and gives her a quick kiss. "I'll um, call you later."
"Okay." Kim responds with a rather shy grin be her standards.
Casey watches in utter bemusement as she catches her best friend slightly biting her bottom lip as she checks the other woman out while she's exiting the restroom. Once she is sure that Abbie gone, she whirls on Kim with her eyes wide and confused.
"Would you care to explain what the hell I just walked in on?" she inquires, thrusting her thumb towards the bathroom door.
Kim actually has the good graces to blush as she turns towards the counter and turns on the sink. "It was nothing." She murmurs lamely as she runs her hands under the water and then rakes her fingers through her hair, dampening enough so she is able to slick it back into a ponytail.
"Nothing?" Casey echoes before blinking rapidly. "When I walk in and see you mouth fucking a woman you take great joy in insulting on an hourly basis, it becomes a little more than nothing."
"Oh you're overreacting. We were not, as you say 'mouth fucking'."
"Kim, she looked like she was performing dental work. So…you wanna tell me what's going on? Or more important, why?"
Kim sighs heavily and leans against the counter before she folds her arms. "We had sex when we were in Italy."
Casey's eyes widen to an impossible size before her mouth falls open with shock once again. "What?! In Italy? That was-god Kim! Why didn't you tell me before now!? You had-why!?"
"In all honesty Case, I really don't know why we did. We were both angry and then it just kind of happened after that. After we got back, things were a little awkward, but two days later she called me and asked if we could meet for coffee so we could talk so…I accepted and we met. We talked, apologized for what happened, vowed to forget it, then on the way out, she kissed me and about fifteen minutes late we're back at her apartment."
"Kim what even…and she'll 'call you later'? What is that about?!"
Kim blushes heavily once again before she rolls her eyes. "It's not even that big of a deal." She mumbles, shaking her head.
This time, Casey is the one who rolls her eyes before she narrows them. "You need to end this; whatever this is. You know what happened with Serena. Don't let it happen to you too."
"Oh please. It's not even like that. You know I don't get emotionally attached to anything."
"You say that now until you find yourself sitting by the phone waiting for her to call and then you'll be drawing hearts around her name in your notepad."
"Oh that's rich coming from you who has fallen for the country's resident heartbreaker." Kim snorts mirthlessly.
Casey's lips purse into a thin line before she crosses her arms. "Alex has changed. She's not the same person she was when I first walked in her. I…I love her and I really believes her when she tells me she loves me."
Kim's expression softens drastically as she tilts her head to the side. "Really? She told you she loves you?" she asks softly, a small smile gracing her features when her best friend nods in response. "That's great Casey."
"I've never felt like this with anyone Kim. I've been on dates with people, but I've never felt the connection with them like the one that I feel when I'm with Alex. I…I think she's the one, Kim…"
"The one? Like…the one, the one?"
Meanwhile…
"Yes Liv; the one, the one." Alex replies, leaning against her desk with her arms folded. "I'm telling you, I haven't felt this way since Lila. It's almost like I can feel Lila telling me it's time for me to move on…and I think I'm ready to do that with Casey."
Olivia whistles as she nods her head in comprehension. "Wow, Alex…this is big for you." She says seriously before she chuckles. "What will the press think when they find out you're settled down for good?"
Alex smiles at her friend's joke before she shakes her head. "Honestly, I don't want to even think about the press right now." She explains before she moves around her desk picking up her beeping phone. "What's up, Amanda? What? Right now?! Oh god, um. Thanks for letting me know."
"Everything alright?" the photographer asks when she notices that her boss has gone considerably pale all within the span of fifteen seconds.
Alex's mouth opens and closes several times as she keeps her eyes trained on the door. Her eyes widening a little when it opens and closes, her impromptu guest striding through the door, their typical demanding aura following not too far behind.
"Grandma…" Alex speaks, shocking herself out of her silence. "What…what are you doing here?"
Celine simply smiles in response before turning towards the lingering photographer. "Do you mind, Dear?" she inquires, though, it's more as a statement of 'get out' rather than a suggestion.
Olivia is silent for a moment, still stunned by the older woman's sudden appearance before she blinks rapidly and nods her head. "Oh, no, Ma'am, not at all." She stammers with a smile before grabbing her camera from one of the plush chairs. "I should be…working anyway. Alex, let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks, Liv." Alex responds, before turning back to her grandmother. "Uh, Grandma, what a surprise. Please. Have a seat."
"Thank you." Celine hums as she takes a seat in the seating area of the office, gazing around as she does so. "I love your office and what you've done with it by choice of decoration."
"Thanks." Alex answers as she takes a seat across from her superior. "Um, do you need anything? I can have Kim bring us some coffee, or water, or anything."
Celine shakes her head before folding her hands in her lap. "No thank you. I'm quite fine." She responds before a smirk spreads across her lips as she can practically sense her grandmother's nerves. "Oh, Alexandra, relax, you are not in trouble."
Alex blinks rapidly, though a tinge of relief hits her like a ton of bricks. "I'm not?" she questions, heaving a much needed sigh in order to relax. "Thank god. Grandma, no disrespect is meant when I say this but…if I'm not in trouble, then what are you doing here? It's not like you to just drop in for unannounced visits."
"I came to see how the company is doing on your end." Celine replies seemingly nonchalantly before her grin widens. "And I came to congratulate you."
"Congratulate me?" Alex echoes with confusion.
Celine sighs quietly as she stands up from her chair and begins to pace absentminded circles around the office. "I must commend you for your work that you've been doing here on this side of the company. Fashion sales are through the roof and I'm being contacted major, major designers for around the world who are all interested in collaborations." She then pauses, looking to her granddaughter with a smile. "And then there is your relationship. Honestly, when I told you to find a nice young woman who you could see yourself settling down with, I thought you would blow me off. I didn't think that you had the willpower or the maturity to actually do so. Casey is perfect for you and I think that she will fit well into the family. With that being said, you have impressed me with your work and your improvements in your personal life, Alexandra. I do believe that you're ready."
Alex's eyes widen and she can practically feel her breath leaving her body. "Grandma, I…I don't understand."
"You've matured to the point, where I think you're ready to step up and take over my position as CEO of Cabot Industries. Of course, this will mean you will have to move into my office at the cooperate building."
"Grandma, I don't…" Alex trails off, taking a much needed breath. "Thank you so much. This is all so much all of a sudden. I—I really don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything right away, Dear. I know it's a lot. How about you give me a call tomorrow, and we can discuss it more?"
"Yeah…that'll be great…"
Later
"She wants me to make me CEO." Alex says out of the blue as she and Casey are settling into bed for the night.
Casey freezes for a moment before she continues to slowly slide underneath the blankets. "Celine came by today, I take it?" she guesses.
Alex nods in response and keeps her eyes on the magazine sitting in her lap. "She came by…" she begins quietly. "She complimented me on my work in my success in running my part of the company. Then she told me she believes I'm ready to step up and take her position."
She doesn't know why, but Casey feels a slight weight in her chest and she can just bring herself to say anything about it. She simply settles on smiling and placing a hand on her lover's shoulder. "Well, that's good, right…? Congratulations."
"I told her I would go home and think about it before I called her tomorrow." Alex continues on, her voice coming out as absent and colorless.
"Well, I mean…I'm really happy for you, Alex, and you are entitled to do whatever you want. I promise I'll be here to support whatever decision to make." Casey speaks up after a brief moment of silence between the two of them.
A tiny smile tugs at the corner of Alex's lips before she leans over and captures Casey's lips in a gentle, loving kiss. "Thank you." she whispers, tucking a stray strand of crimson hair behind her ear. "How about we get some sleep yeah?"
Casey nods her head, stealing another kiss before she sinks down into the cocoon of blankets. She sighs quietly when she feels arms encircle her waist, as she is pulled back into a warm body against the cold of the bedroom night air. Even as she, herself, drifts off to sleep, she can practically hear Alex thinking with her eyes wide opens.
Hmmm…leave your thoughts?