the sleepless elite

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the sleepless elite

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chapter twenty-five

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Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I've missed you,
Yes, I've been broken-hearted, blue since the day we parted,
Why, why did I ever let you go?

– ABBA, Mamma Mia

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"What are you waiting for?" A question fills the air and Darling pauses for a moment, blinking out of her thoughts. The Charming girl wishes she could say this was some magical moment that knocked some sense into her, but it wasn't. It was just a question asked.

And when Darling gets her bearings right, she's greeted by her longtime friend Raven Queen who smiles pleasantly at the blonde.

Oh. Darling thinks, looking at Raven's hands – each occupied with a cup of coffee, one for Raven herself and one for Dexter, Darling presumes. Damn, Darling's had gotten so used to Chase doing certain things for her that she never considered that she'd have to live without him having her back.

"Nothing," Darling lies, crossing her legs under the table and pushing back a lock of blonde hair. "I'm just saving the table."

"But there are plenty of other tables to sit at." Raven says, purples eyes sweeping over the break room of the Charming Co. building before she sits down beside Darling.

Briefly blushing, Darling looks away. Wow, she's embarrassed and she'd rather not address this fact so ... small talk it is! Fiddling with her bare hands, Darling utters a cliché, "So lovely weather we're having?"

"The weatherman would disagree." Raven answers, still smiling. Ah, the perks of working at a company that provides global news, sports, weather and documentaries – you get to cover every topic because you know everything.

"Agree to disagree."

Raven's grin widens, there's this knowing look in her eyes like she's catching Darling in an act. Really, Raven shouldn't be giving Darling that look. They've done wilder things in their youth and nobody in the sleepless elite ever said anything.

However, Raven being Raven – at times sneaky and sly – doesn't say a word. She knows Darling can't take the silence. And after counting down from ten backwards, all while Raven takes a long sip of her drink, the dark haired woman finally got to break Darling's curiosity.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Darling asks, making a face.

Raven almost laughs but doesn't. "Something's on your mind, isn't it?" Raven asks back, leaning forward.

Darling blanches and her blue eyes widen, "What?"

"Oh, come on, Darling! I've known you for years, you can't keep secrets from me so out with it already!"

Darling's face scrunches up even further. "R – Rae!"

"What? Too aggressive? Okay, I get it, we're in a work environment, I'll ask nicely; do you want to talk about it?"

"T – There's nothing to talk about."

"Uh-huh."

"I mean it,"

"Sure."

"It's just ..." Darling sucks in a breath then exhales. She's not doing to admit anything because there's nothing to admit, but, God, why does everyone think she's got secrets? It was just –