For Saiketsu
The night that Rachel and Quinn passed out on the couch together after she spilled her guts had been, well, exhausting. The sounds and smells of eggs, toast, and coffee late that next morning had finally caused the two to stir; covered in a couple of blankets that she could only assume Damien had placed there. It was a super thoughtful gesture that stoked the affections she had for the vampire, though she felt a touch guilty that he had been left alone after such an intense conclusion to their celebratory date. She missed crawling into bed with him but she really needed her friend time. Breakfast was filled with quiet awkwardness and mutual exhaustion, Damien mostly keeping his distance from them as they fully woke up. She'd debrief with him later of course but for now, she was appreciative that he was mostly letting her figure this whole thing out on her own. Before sending Quinn off in an Uber (one that he did not have to pay for), the two swapped current numbers and made plans to meet at Sanctuary that Thursday for brunch. She could tell Damien was nervous about that but this was important. And she had a bodyguard now so she'd be fine.
The days passed quickly and Rachel had exchanged a few texts back and forth with Quinn trying to reestablish some kind of "normal" with him. By the time Thursday had come along she was filled with a kind of nervousness that felt like a combination of going on a blind date and a job interview at the same time. Which was really weird. Before leaving the house she had spent a good chunk of time after getting ready reassuring Damien that everything would be okay, that she would text him when she got there, check in with him at intervals, and text him when she was coming home. Honestly, she was nervous too but tried her best to not let him see that. He didn't need any more reasons to be apprehensive.
Greg, the shifter bodyguard, was a bit late picking her up. Damien wasn't happy about that at all, but she managed to convince him to give the new hire a proper chance before making any real judgment. That and she was eager to finally get out of the house during the day and didn't want today to go badly. Greg did apologize, after all. Although he didn't seem as concerned as she would have preferred--but she set aside those thoughts in favor of her excitement.
He tried to make some small talk with her as she sat in the backseat texting Damien, and she felt bad about giving mostly one-word replies but she wasn't really in the mood for conversation.
"Sorry, I'm just distracted." She ended up saying, glancing up into the rearview mirror and catching his eye. An uncomfortable feeling nudged its way in as she found that she couldn't read his face at all really. Chalk it up to nerves on the first day. His boss, Damien, was pretty damn intimidating when he wanted to be.
"Nah, it's all good, I get it." He returned his gaze to the road and left her alone, turning the music up a little bit as if indicating he wouldn't bother her anymore.
You get what? She couldn't place why the comment rubbed her the wrong way but didn't feel like exploring it further. Part of her wanted to tell Damien she was feeling weird about it, but she didn't want him worrying about it on top of everything else. Instead, she looked out the window, trying to get a sense of the layout of the city in the sunlight as they traveled through it. Everything looked so much different by day. Some things were recognizable--things closer to home anyway. She couldn't remember if they had ever gone into the West district before, but she thought it was cute and artsy. This part of the city seemed like the kind of place she would've wanted to explore on foot. She missed doing things like that.
It didn't take too long to get to their destination and she was thankful that the awkward car ride was finally over. When Greg parked the car, the two got out and headed toward the cute two-story building housing the Sanctuary cafe. He kept a little distance away from her, but not so far that he couldn't reach her if needed. It felt a lot like being alone, and there were things that she liked about that but her nerves felt electric beneath her skin. She took the time on the short walk to take in the scenery, quaint cobblestone putting her mind at ease. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that it didn't matter what a place looked like--He could be hiding anywhere. No thinking of that now. She sighed through her nose and pushed open the door to the cafe.
The place was a bit busy, but there were a handful of empty tables. No Quinn yet. She felt a slight touch at her back that made her jump and look back. It was just Greg, attempting to urge her into the building because she had just stopped in the doorway. That steering thing that men did really got on her nerves and she didn't think it was really appropriate of him. She must've had some kind of look on her face because he took a step back and apologized. Without replying to him, she made her way to the counter to get a coffee.
Oh, they're hiring? She took note of the Help Wanted sign as she paid for the coffee, thinking that maybe it would be cool to work here. It seemed like a cozy place. It wasn't anything like the diner she worked at back home, but it was something. Maybe it was fate? The thought made her smile as she took the drink she ordered. The smile fell a bit when she turned back around toward Greg, who was doing a bit of hovering uncomfortably close to her.
"Um, why don't you grab something and sit somewhere nearby?" She offered quietly, hoping he would take the hint that she didn't want him sitting with them. He nodded obediently and complied. It was a bit weird to have someone listen to her like that but she was relieved nonetheless. Rachel moved toward one of the empty tables by the window, one where the sun was streaming in. As soon as she sat she leaned back in her chair, letting the sun warm her face as she closed her eyes.
This could be her new normal.
Pulling out her cellphone, she sent a quick text (and cute selfie) to Damien to let him know that she had arrived safely. Then she sent one to Quinn to see where he was, since she was a bit late herself. She would've offered to pick him up but it wasn't really on the way so it felt a little awkward. Especially on her first outing with this bodyguard. She really hoped that he wouldn't be weird again. This needed to work out.
Rachel took a small sip of the coffee, inhaling deeply as she brought it close to her face, and reached for the menu on the table.
