she had been here before.
when exactly was lena going to learn that putting her trust in her so-called friends only ever backfired? it was a running theme in her life at this point. the only person that she could count on over the years had been sam, and well, she left.
and while she didn't blame the woman for leaving national city, all things considered, she wasn't exactly thrilled when news broke that she was looking to get away from the constant reminder of what happened - especially since lena took that one to heart. so yes, she may have set her friend up with a job back in metropolis and kept in contact with her, but it was different. she wasn't physically there to rant about what fresh wave of hell the new day brought along.
taking on catco as a whole was something she never should have done, but lena 'abandonment issues' luthor had little control when it came to helping out those she loved. ( again, she literally took on a worldkiller on her own to prove just that and then simply let the woman practically walk out of her life. )
it was a sinking ship; no matter how she tried to restructure funds to make up for the deficit. although still thriving in a sense, the profit it was turning wasn't enough to continue to fund other projects and she needed a way out. fast.
cue reaching out to someone she once thought to be the closest person in her life. this wouldn't end disastrously, right?
andrea rojas was a force to be reckoned with. not only was she the head of a multimillion dollar company, but she was the face, the brains, and to be frank, the heart of the entire thing. and while they had grown apart over the years, she knew that it would be a sound investment for the philanthropist. plus, what better way to market ones product than free marketing? that was every business person's dream!
one night after a particularly grueling seminar she was forced to attend about the advantages of nanotechnology being used to help reignite the neural pathways that were severed due to traumatic brain injuries, the scientist found herself perched upon a stool at noonan's wishing that this third glass of scotch would actually open up and swallow her brain whole. she may have been in the thick of most things scientific, but she could have sworn the droll sound of the presenter actually helped severe the pathways they were trying to get moving again.
and as she took a rather long pull of the amber liquid, her focus fell to the commotion made near the front door when a new patron walked in. "of course," she muttered into her glass before placing it down and beaming a smile in her friend's direction. "...drea!" her tone turned up, masking the fact that she would have honestly rather had her brother walk in and sit down next to her.
there was no hiding the bemusement that had taken over obsidian CEO's face when her gaze landed on lena. they both had become rather cutthroat in their own ways to make it as far as they did, and while selling the multimedia company off to someone who would benefit from it all, she did leave out little bits of information throughout their negotiations - like how it seemed as though some of the reporters tried to function on their own timelines.
none the less, shop talk would be shelved for a time where both women were on the clock, and for now, perhaps they could catch up with one another in a more intimate setting. it had been some time.
"i was beginning to think you were avoiding me these days..." lena's tone was a bit playful as she slid off of the stool she had occupied to wrap the woman in a one armed hug. "there's a lull coming up in my schedule that i was going to extend an invite for drinks one night, and as you know, simply wouldn't take no for an answer." a hum rang in her throat as she pulled herself back upon the stool and ordered a glass of scotch for the other, as she practically forced the woman to sit with her and smiled. "i'm hoping you still like it neat."
the l-corp CEO looked relaxed, as she spoke, which left andrea a bit intrigued if she were being honest. even back in boarding school the woman was a bit tight to say the least. "how many drinks have you had, lena?" a brow quirked.
there was absolutely no judgment in the woman's tone. she just wanted to see where things where at for the other.
"enough," was quickly offered as a glass was placed in front of either women. apparently, she had practically finished hers without noticing; a feat in its own as lena tried her best not to make a spectacle of herself in public.
ambient light lit up the bar around them, leaving the atmosphere rather calm, as andrea picked up her drink and tipped it in her friend's direction. "here's to... well, us." a motion quickly reciprocated by the other.
and while quite some time had passed since lena found out the truth in her friend's betrayal, there was no stopping the intruding thoughts of the medallion perched upon ample breasts flooding her mind in that very moment. truth be told, lena had been avoiding the other 'these days', but could she be blamed? andrea stole the very thing she based her life on for some time. that was all neither here nor there, though, right?
"like what you see...?" the media mogul's words were a bit muffled, as she clearly was focusing elsewhere. her gaze had managed to fall to her counterpart's chest for a moment or two, in thought, and when she was finally able to pull herself back, her eyes widened slightly as she caught a finely sculpted brow raise above hues of like color. had andrea's eyes always been that blue?
"what? sorry. i was - you know - where did you get that top?" as if it didn't have a plunging neckline that left the younger luthor's inquiry even more amusing to her friend.
"nice save." she heard mumbled from the barkeep who had been all too intrigued watching everything unfold in front of her.
eyebrows furrowed in an attempt to collect herself in that moment, but with previous thoughts, mixed with the amount of scotch currently swimming around in her head... well, there had only been one other who had seen her in such a state, and that notion alone caused a groan to ring in her chest.
"sorry." the realization of why she was truly there drinking that night settled in. because yes, while the seminar was beyond boring, it was the fact that just days prior the woman she called her best friend since practically arriving in national city informed her that not only had she been lying about practically everything, but in turn, confirmed that her brother - albeit an asshole - had the moxie enough to not only tell her the truth but own up to his bullshit when he did something wrong by her. why couldn't kara have done the same?
with elbows on the bar top, lena's head moved to hang between arms propped up on what felt like sweaty palms as she let out another groan. "i found out some rather earth shattering information the other day, and it seems to have me all out of sorts these days."
and despite the fact that andrea usually had a snarky reply ready to fire in any direction when speaking to others, a look of concern took over her features as she gently leaned in and placed a hand on lena's back. "are you okay?" it was a dumb question. simply hearing the woman say that she had consumed 'enough' should have been the tell tale sign of where she was at, but who was she to question lena luthor's limits these days?
lena's shoulders stiffened slightly at the touch before she relaxed once more. andrea wasn't the enemy... not anymore, at least. there was a time in her life where she would have spat back at the other asking why she even cared, but the tone in which the simple question was asked was enough to allow the tension that would have built to melt away.
"i should probably go." clearing her throat, lena picked up the glass of scotch before her and proceeded to try to swing it back. a failed motion as andrea reached over and plucked it swiftly from the woman's grip.
"i think maybe you've actually had enough." words came out matter-of-fact but still held no judgment. and before the scientist could object, she promptly finished off the glass in hand and her own.
lena's eyes narrowed slightly before she slid off of the stool she had been occupying and giggled, as the movement was rather quick. a giggle of which caused andrea's brow to quirk. a giggle? since when was that a thing that occurred?
"how about i help you home? we can talk about this earth shattering news in the car and make plans to catch up properly. i feel a little bit out of the loop these days." especially if giggling was something the other did. she hadn't heard such a noise since they were kids.
a bit of light reflected off of a nearby frame, catching lena's line of sight as she looked at the other woman. her eyes were always something that had left andrea a bit speechless; the different shades of blue and green complimenting each other in a way that could cause anyone to get lost in such a sight.
"okay, but don't think we're sleeping together." lena stumbled a bit before running her hands down the front of her shirt; a smirk plastered on her face.
the thought of sleeping with the other woman had never even crossed andrea's mind... until now.
