executives - c.hood | au

[8]

rachel's pov

"you shouldn't be here." i sighed, sitting down at my desk and running my hands through my hair. "you should still be at lenny's with everyone else."

"you seemed upset, and it seemed to have involved work." calum shrugged. "the possibility of it involving our new contract is rather high. also, i couldn't help but notice your change in appearance?"

"my family, no, my stepmother, has her standards set quite high." i say. "my appearance is a mere sliver of such that i can get judged for instantly. tonight was probably the first time in four months that i've worn a sweatshirt, but it felt fucking awesome. however, that stays strictly between us."

"i may be wearing a blazer that i always keep in my car, but most of the time you can catch me in a t-shirt and black skinny jeans." calum admits. "at work it's either a plain black, grey, or white shirt, tee or button up with my blazer, and my dress pants. anywhere else, band tees and skinny jeans. though that stays between us."

"my step-mother is as sweet as sugar in the public eye." i sigh. "but she is one vile of poison just waiting to kill me, i swear!"

"i'm sure it's nothing to truly be bothered by." calum says.

"she's not even my real mother!" i shout. "my real mother, she died when i was small. i didn't know her as well as my sister kate did, but i loved her nonetheless. i was told to have been just like her. this whole company thing, involving my stepmother and father, only came upon our family six months after her death. i was about three years old."

"i'm really sorry, miss alvarado." calum says.

"calum, you've gone for drinks with my best friends and i, i think we're far past formalities now." i smiled meekly.

"i know it can be tough, to have parents that are so judgmental, i mean." calum says. "i watched it with my parents and my sister. she was married and she got pregnant, the next thing you know that douchebag for a father was gone, left her with signed divorce papers. my parents continuously criticized mali for not seeing how bad he was for her, but they couldn't blame her for being in love with the man who vowed to love her just as equally."

"fuck, now i feel like a bitch for complaining about my pathetic life." i sighed.

"don't be." calum said.

"you know, usually this room would be torn to shreds right about now." i say, standing up from my seat as walking towards the front of my desk, in which i lean myself against. "it's odd to see it so clean and in-order after such a debacle."

"talking about things can make a world of a difference." calum shrugs. "and acting on instinct can do just as much. like you said, being impulsive, assertive."

"on impulse, i raced over here, even though i knew i shouldn't have." i laughed bitterly. "yet you asserted yourself into the situation and got her to leave. say, hood, are you putting in an effort into listening to what i say?"

"i mean, it's helped with quite a few things recently." he shrugs with a sly smile, standing from his seat in front of me and towering over my height of five-foot-eight.

"name a few." i shrugged.

"one, numbers with the company." he said. "two, that little peck shared before the press conference. and three, something that goes a little... like... this."

he attached his lips to mine for a second time. sweet like sugar on my lips, that's what it was like each time this had happened. and when he would release, i would taste the poison he left lingering, and for some odd reason i would miss it.

"until tomorrow, rachella." he winked. "and don't forget, ashton's probably waiting for you."

shit, i forgot about ashton!