#vallias

She wanted to bang her head against the desk until her skull cracked. For some reason her boss was increasingly agitated today which only made Elains’s suffering a hundred times worse. It wasn’t anything to do with clients as far as she was aware, no she had a feeling it was something personal bothering her boss. Usually Elain would ask and try to make it better, but she didn’t think that was possible today.

Lucky for her, it was almost lunch time and she would get a break from the muffled yelling in her boss’s office. Elain also couldn’t wait to see Az and ask about his day, hopefully it was just as bad as hers, or worse. Though he worked with one of his brothers so Elain doubted anything could taint his day.

She looked at the clock again, seeing that only a minute had gone by since she last looked. Nine minutes until she could leave the office for her lunch hour. Elain had never felt so hungry before. Something bounced off the closed office door and she was glad it was nothing breakable. No matter what Elain did to protect her hands she always managed to cut them on broken glass.

“Think she’ll cool down anytime soon?” Vivianne, one of the only co-workers Elain actually liked in this building asked. She had rolled her chair over to the desk Elain sat at everyday. Vivianne’s hair was now pulled up in a loose ponytail, making her soft features more visible. She was a beautiful woman and if Elain was interested in women her co-worker would be one of them.

“Considering she’s been like that for the past two hours I highly doubt it,” Elain said as they both stared at a closed door. The shouting seemed to be growing louder with each word now. Then the lock on the door clicked and their boss emerged.

“Take an early lunch break, all of you,” she said calmly to the office before retreating and flipping her voice to a shout once more.

“Lucky us,” Vivianne said before rolling back over to her desk and grabbing her purse. Elain reached into her bag to text Azriel that she was leaving.

Early lunch break today, you ready?

I’ll head down now.

Elain smiled as she read the text before standing up and collecting her things. Vivianne fell into step next to her, pocketing her own phone.

“Where you headed today?” she asked Elain as they waited for the elevator, having reached out and already pressed the down button.

“Az and I are headed to Rita’s,” she told her friend who was now undoing her white hair from the ponytail holder.

“Anything happening there?” Vivianne asked the same question at least twice a week. Elain had told her about her little crush on her best friend after the two had met. It was at an office Christmas party last year and Elain had brought Azriel as her plus one, Vivianne had been one of the first people to approach them. Turns out they knew each other a little from a mutual friend, and the other woman was quick to point out to them that everyone was fawning over Az.

After a few drinks and some internal brooding Elain confided in her friend that she was a tiny bit in love with her best friend. From that moment forward Vivianne had encouraged her to make a move on Az, even going so far as to tell the story behind her relationship to her husband Kallias. Vivianne had been in a similar situation to Elain but she didn’t like the part where they were separated for years before finally coming back to the other. Elain couldn’t imagine her life without her best friend, didn’t want to.

“Nothing new,” it was the same response she gave Vivianne twice a week. Elain had a feeling her friend was growing tired of the excuse but she never pushed her. No Vivi was letting her do things on her own terms, make her own story.

“Today could be your day,” the same phrase that was part of their dance. She never outright shoved Elain into the path of love with Azriel, but she silently encouraged it with those words.

“Today or tonight, but who knows?” Elain shrugged as they walk into the elevator which had to be the slowest moving one in the world. The doors closed and Vivi pressed the button to the main floor.

“Tonight?” she asked looking over to Elain with furrowed brows.

“Yeah, tonight’s our weekly binge night,” she explained with a smile on her face. Every week she looked forward to these nights where they went to each others apartments, order take out from wherever they were in the mood for and drank wine or in Az’s case beer.

“What are you guys going to watch?” Vivianne asked as she watched the numbers slowly tick down until they reached the main floor. The pair stepped out of the elevator just before a crowd of people boarded it.

“The Last Kingdom, we’ve both been in the mood for action and period dramas lately,” she explained as they pushed through the doors of the main entrance.

“You want a good action filled period drama you should try Outlander,” Vivianne said. “Kallias and I just finished the fourth season last night and have started our countdown to the fifth season in the meantime.”

“I tried it but I could barely make it through the first episode.”

“The first few aren’t too interesting but once you meet Jamie Fraser you’ll find a reason to keep watching,” Vivianne said with a wink. Elain chuckled at her friend’s antics.

“I’ll give it another try sometime then,” she promised.

“You better, if only so I can fawn over Jamie with someone that isn’t male,” Vivianne groaned and Elain found herself laughing again.

“What are you chuckling about?” Azriel said coming up behind Elain and making her jump. She was easily startled but with that deep voice of his she seemed even more likely to be scared. He pressed his hands to her waist to calm her, knowing the contact halted the chill that had been going down her spine.

“Vivianne’s love for a fictional character,” Elain answered smiling up at her best friend. He smiled down at her in return looking much happier now that they were together.

“You’ll be the same way trust me,” Vivianne said pointing her finger at Elain as if to say not to doubt her judgement just yet. “Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to drag my husband out of his office and in the direction of some food.”

“Good luck!” Elain called to her friend. Vivianne waved behind herself having already turned to walk down the street. The pair of friends chuckled as they watched her go.

“Ready?” Azriel asked when they lost sight of Vivianne.

“Starving,” Elain said as her friend took her hand and guided her in the direction of Rita’s.

___

Azriel couldn’t stop smiling, not while Elain sat across from him shoveling food into her mouth. For a woman who prided herself on being proper and ladylike, she looked like she had been possessed. He knew she could eat but he loved when she was this hungry, to the point she didn’t give a fuck about what she looked like.

Normally when they came to Rita’s Elain got a salad, but today she decided to treat herself. She had ordered the fettuccine alfredo, a dish that was hidden amongst the burgers and flatbreads Rita’s specialized in. yet Elain found this dish, she told him she liked finding the hidden meals on a menu, it meant they were underrated and delicious.

“Can you even breathe?” Azriel asked leaning forward on the table as he watched her twist another fork full of noodles into her small mouth. Elain nodded as she chewed, not leaving any room to speak words. He chuckled as he leaned sat in his chair having finished his burger and fries earlier.

He was a fast eater, something he had been forced to learn as a kid living in the foster system. If you didn’t eat quickly you didn’t eat at all. In fact the way Elain was eating the pasta dish in front of her now reminded him of those times. He used to look down on those memories but he had learned to appreciate them as they shaped him into the person he was now, and led him to Elain. The best thing that had happened to him.

“Are you going to finish your water?” she asked motioning to the full glass Az had barely touched since the waitress came by the refill it. He had lost his focus when she looked Elain with disgust, then to him like she pitied him for having lunch with a sloppy eater. It didn’t sit right in his stomach so he hadn’t touched the glass. Now he freely handed it over to his best friend who sucked down half the glass.

“You’re going to explode,” Azriel said watching her pick back up her fork and shovel more noodles onto it. “You’re so small I’m not even sure where half of that plate had ended up.” He was teasing her and he knew she had figured that out by the way she rolled her eyes.

“It’s going down to my stomach and through my intestines, didn’t you take anatomy in college?” Elain teased before taking a big bite with the last piece of chicken that had been apart of the dish. It was true he had taken anatomy, mostly so he could flirt with this girl he found attractive at the time, it didn’t go anywhere though.

“I just like testing your knowledge,” Az shrugged. Elain swallowed before looking into his hazel eyes and speaking.

“Trust me,” she said, leaning forward. “I know my body.” she smirked at him and he felt his dick twitch beneath his zipper. He crossed his legs at the ankles, shifted his upper body to where his arms crossed over his chest and sent Elain a subtle glare. She chuckled before taking one last big bite and then announcing she was done.

There was hardly anything left on the plate besides sauce and some stray noodles. She leaned back smiling at him, which he easily returned. Finding the waitress Azriel signaled for the check and waited for her to bring it over.

“You never did tell me why you took an early lunch today,” Azriel said breaking the small silence that had washed over them. Elain turned away from the window where she had been contently watching people go by to face him.

“My boss has been screaming into her phone since 10 this morning,” Elain groaned, throwing her head back in annoyance. She had been hoping to avoid this conversation but she wasn’t surprised he remembered to bring it up. Sometimes Az really was too curious for his own good.

“You don’t know why though?” Azriel questioned even though he already knew the answer. Elain said it about him but she was the same way, too curious for her own good.

“Of course not, my best guess is that it’s personal,” Elain said as she moved the straw around lazily in her glass, or Azriel’s glass technically.

“You and Vivianne both trying to play detective,” he teased sending her a smirk. She rolled her eyes at him when she looked up. Azriel chuckled shaking his head.

“It makes work either stressful because we’re all trying to please her and not make things worse,” Elain started, her gaze back on the window. “Or it makes it very boring because she tries to solve the issue herself and forgets to ask for my help, which makes things worse. Neither of those things are happening so therefore it’s personal.”

“She could still fuck up the situation,” Az pointed just as the waitress set down the two checks they requested.

“I have no doubt she will I just wish I would get a front row seat like always,” Elain said reaching to grab Azriel’s bill why he grabbed hers. They always paid for each other’s meal after the first time they had gone out together. Feyre, Elain’s younger sister, had invited her friends and family to dinner for her birthday a few years back. When the waitress brought the bills they had grabbed for the opposite ones and didn’t realize until they got the change. There was a laugh shared between the two growing friends and from that day forward they decided that’s how things would be.

“Sounds like you got a good enough seat to me,” Az said as he slipped his card into its place.

“True, but I have no idea what’s happening.”

“You poor thing.”

“Shut up, you would be the same way if you were in this situation.”

“No I wouldn’t, because my boss is my brother.” She groaned at that, hating when he was literal in her hypothetical situations.

“One of these days just go along with my scenarios.”

“Where would the fun be in that?” The waitress brought back their cards, they signed the receipt and then were on their way. “I got her number,” Elain teased holding up the back of her copy, and sure enough there was a ten digit number printed on the back. Another thing they had discovered was that the waitresses or waiters would sometimes give away their numbers, unknowingly to the wrong person.

“Don’t want it,” he never did, not that Elain was complaining. Yet she still wanted her best friend to be happy and have the family he always told her about.

“She could be ‘the one’,” she teased as they headed down the sidewalk and back to work.

“Doubt it,” Az shrugged as he put his hands in the pockets of his dress pants.

“Why?”

“I already know who ‘the one’ is.”

“You neglected to tell me.”

“That’s because you already know.” Azriel stopped right in front of the law firm. Elain hadn’t even realized they had made it back already. She didn’t care at the moment either as she stared up at her best friend in disbelief.

“I highly doubt that,” Elain said shaking her head. “Unless your childhood crush on Mor developed into something else,” she hoped it hadn’t.

“Don’t worry it’s not her.”

“Someone I know though?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t tell me you’re in love with one of my sisters.” Elain really prayed it wasn’t that option, that would crush her heart more than his.

“Of course not,” he said, giving her a look like she was crazy, something he did more often than people would believe.

“Vivianne?”

“I think Kallias would kill me.”

“Then I’m out of guesses.”

“You’re closer than you think.” Azriel turned on his heel and walked away. Elain watched him as he entered the building, disappearing in a crowd of lawyers. She turned to cross the street, her mind clouded with those final words from him. She didn’t even realize she had made it back to her desk until she heard the muffled shouting. With a groan Elain finally banged her head against the wood.

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