Her coworker Leah

Author’s notes

This is the branch of the story that will predominantly focus on FF pairings (for the time being at least). In this chapter you will find references to both smoking and drinking. Those who struggle with addiction are reminded to be cautious and make their own judgement in regards to continuing.

Please be extra cautious in real life with sexual activities in regards to people who are intoxicated (yourself included). Be safe and always ask for clear and unambiguous consent.

(Sarah): Hey Leah, are you doing anything tomorrow? I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after work?

(Leah): Omg Sarah, are you serious? Of course! Like I have always been telling you, you’re always welcome to join us!

(Sarah): Really? Thank you so much!

(Leah): No group tomorrow then?

(Sarah): No, no.. I’m not really feeling it. I’d much rather do something else tomorrow.

(Leah): ???

(Sarah): I’ll tell you tomorrow?

(Leah): Of course! I’ll be there ;)

(Sarah): Hahaha okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then!

(Leah): Night night Sarah

(Sarah): Good night Leah

Sarah put her phone down on the nightstand beside her. She smiled, happy to have a coworker like Leah to have her back when she needed it. Her index finger had again found its way into her mouth. Now, comfortable once more, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

It was still dark when her alarm went off. Sarah begrudgingly got out of bed. Work was an afterthought given the circumstances. Calling in sick however would also mean cancelling plans with Leah and spending the weekend alone with just her thoughts. On top of that, she couldn’t do that to her pupils.

On the drive over to work she kept snacking on the same hard candy she had retrieved from her bag yesterday. Already she was starting to get sick of its sweetness, but there was no opting out right now. Not having something to occupy her mouth with meant inviting in the buzz once again. This she certainly couldn’t afford in the classroom environment.

She was just in time for the morning debrief by the principal. Leah shot her a cursory glance when she walked in. Sarah responded with a quick smile as she sat down in the staff cafeteria, thankful that she didn’t have to address her coworkers this morning. There were a couple of absences and a reminder to finish admini before the end of the year in two weeks. Then the school bell rang. Sarah took a deep breath, got up and got to work.

Getting through the day proved to be a struggle. Her rascals almost immediately called her out for having candy. They deemed it a great injustice that they were not allowed candy themselves. In order to quell the ruckus Sarah had to promise them that she wouldn’t snack on them anymore either. The rest of the day wasn’t as bad as she had initially imagined, doing her job provided her with some distraction and seemed to keep the static at bay to some extent. Whenever her pupils were dutifully at work she used a pen as proxy, much like the spoon had done a day prior.

After a long day of motivating both herself and her pupils Sarah found herself sitting behind the desk in front of the classroom. She had resorted to snacking on another piece of candy and was just mindlessly staring out of the window.

“Earth to Sarah?”

She perked up, startled by Leah who was now standing right by her desk.

Leah was only a bit taller than Sarah. The brunette never wore skirts or dresses, instead she often opted for loose fitting jeans paired with a simple blouse or shirt. Her long brown hair was something that Sarah was always jealous of. It always looked voluminous and healthy while her own hair often was a source of great difficulty for her.

“Haha, sorry for startling you. How was it today? Did the little rascals give you much trouble?”

Sarah smirked, knowing that most of the trouble she had experienced today had originated with herself.

“Not at all, they were in pretty good spirits today. Must be both because of the weekend and the vacation lurking around the corner.”

Leah nodded, sat down at the corner of the desk and looked at Sarah intently.

“Mind telling me why you have finally decided to join us for drinks tonight? Is something the matter?”

Sarah swallowed hard, suddenly the room seemed to be much smaller than it actually was. It was clear that Leah knew that something was up, Sarah had never before agreed to join them for drinks. Her religious group meetings had always taken precedence on Friday evenings.

“It’s Kevin… He-, he-…”

“…He broke up with you. Didn’t he?”

Sarah looked up at Leah, tears were welling up in her eyes now as she nodded. Suddenly feeling very small, she suckled hard on the candy in her mouth.

All of a sudden, arms were being wrapped around her and she could feel Leah’s warmth radiating from her. She closed her eyes, melting into the embrace and welcoming the warmth, the sweet scent, the touch. It felt so nice that when Leah broke the hug she almost was inclined to ask for it to continue.

“I’m so sorry to hear that Sarah. I know how much he meant to you. Well it’s as good a reason if any to join us tonight. It’s going to be a small group. Just you, me, Oscar, Emily and Sasha. If that’s okay with you?”

Sarah nodded, as she wiped away the tears and reached for her water bottle. She found it to be tasting a little sweeter, with Leah’s perfume still lingering around her while she took a sip.

“Do you want to get some food beforehand? I know the rest is going to meet us at the bar after they ate at home. If you’d like, you’re welcome to join me and we’ll get some food together?”

It was at the mention of food that Sarah realized just how hungry she was. She had been surviving today on little food of substance as it seemed to be an afterthought in her mind. She nodded.

“Great! Let me just pack my things and I’ll swing by to get you. We can take the bus downtown in 15 minutes”.

While Sarah had never been a real fan of junk food she had to admit that the hamburger and fries really hit the spot. As they were sitting down at the restaurant she was able to vent a bit to Leah. She told her in more detail about what had happened yesterday and what exactly Kevin had said. Leah mostly listened and occasionally interjected with some remark that allowed Sarah to feel a bit better about herself.

Leah had been her coworker for almost a full year now and they hadn’t really hung out apart from work. Sarah had been invited multiple times, but had never gone for it. The brunette had still continued to ask her from time to time, stating that she wanted Sarah to know that she was always welcome to join in.

As they finished their meal, the decided on walking over to the bar. Leah noted that it was only about 10 minutes and that it would be a good remedy against the dip in energy that was to follow after all the food.

Their coworkers were already at the bar once they arrived. Oscar had just gotten up from his seat at one of the booths along the side to fetch them some drinks.

“The usual Leah? And what would you like to drink Sarah?”

“A white wine for me please”, she answered meekly before greeting the rest and squeezing herself in the booth next to Sascha, quickly followed by Leah who sat down to her direct right.

Soon the group was heartily talking amongst themselves about all the trials and tribulations of their work. Drinks were flowing and there was plenty of laughter shared between all of them apart from Sarah. She was just sitting there, quietly sipping her second glass of wine on occasion. The static once again had her in its grip.

She was there physically, but her mind was a thousand miles away. Her thoughts had gone over some of the memories that she had shared with Kevin. Of the time the two of them had joined his parents for a skiing trip. Of the time they had tried to make pizza but ended up ordering one instead after dumping the doughy mess into the garbage. Suddenly, she was thrust back into the real world. Someone was tapping her shoulder.

“Wanna go and get some air?”

Sarah looked at Leah, who had put a leather coat over her shoulders and was wriggling her way out of the booth already. She nodded quickly, following suit and following her coworker outside.

“Are you doing okay? Is this okay for you? You looked like you were a world-and-a-half away just now”

“Yes, I-, I’m sorry. My mind just isn’t really working with me at the moment. I keep flashing back to… Well you know..”

Leah nodded as she padded her jacket, fishing out a pack of cigarettes. She fished one out of the carton and lit it by fishing a lighter out of her other pocket. Sarah in the meantime was transfixed by the little ritual, by the cigarette fitting snugly between Leah’s lips.

“Do you want one too?”

“Eh, eh. Well maybe-, I normally never really..”

Leah nodded and didn’t question it. She was already fishing out another cigarette and handed it over to Sarah. She blew out some smoke as she reached for her lighter once again.

With the cigarette snugly tucked in between her lips Sarah immediately felt different. The memories of Kevin of days long gone by faded to the background as she felt the heat of the lighter cause the tip of the cigarette to flare up. She took her first drag. The experience of smoke filling her was not pleasant, horrible even, but it still didn’t offset the pleasing feeling of having her mouth occupied.

With a look of amusement Leah had looked at how Sarah was working her way through her first cigarette. In silence the two of them stood there. It was still lovely out, summer was quickly ramping up to be upon them.

“I am happy that you’re here Sarah. Sorry that it has to be under these circumstances, but it’s nice to have you as part of the crew.”

Sarah smiled in turn, the hit of nicotine had her head a bit woozy. She found herself to be immensely appreciative of her coworker. Happy that she had embarked on something that she normally wouldn’t have done and happy that the distraction was working to a certain extent.

“Thank you Leah, I would’ve hated being on my own tonight. I don’t think that would have been as fun as this has been.”

Leahs smile shone a little brighter and the two of them finished their cigarettes. As they went inside Leah grabbed Sarahs hand and dragged her to the bar.

“We’re getting shots!”

Now, Sarah was no stranger to ****. She enjoyed a glass of wine every now and again and would even sport a beer at a barbecue or when watching sports in the past. Shots however, she had no experience with. Leah had already ordered before she could even begin to protest. Within moments the bartender too had been reeled into their little ritual and she watched each of them holding a little glass in their hands.

“All in one now! 1, 2…3!”

Sarah’s face grimaced as the **** burned its way down to her stomach. The initial horror was however quickly chased away by a warm feeling spreading through her body. She looked at Leah, who looked back at her and the two of them shared a laugh.

“Let me get you a drink as a thanks Leah, what do you want?”

“Can you get me another Cuba Libre?”

“Sure! Is it any good?”

“Hah, only one way to find out! Get an extra straw and you can have a taste!”

Sarah grinned and turned to the bartender to instead order two Cuba Libres, one for Leah and one for herself. Leah, noticing that Sarah was clearly in an adventurous mood laughed and shook her head at the sudden brazenness.

“Just don’t overdo it okay? I won’t have you drink just to forget”

The big smile on Sarah's face softened a little bit. She nodded. Leah was right, she needed to not get totally whisked away by her desire for distraction. With their drinks in tow they moved back to the booth. The other three had hardly noticed that the two of them had been gone, they were currently in a heated debate.

“Why don’t you have a try and tell me what you think?”, Leah looked at Sarah and the drink in front of her expectantly as they squeezed themselves in the booth once more. Sarah nodded, leaning towards the straw and immediately feeling relieved as her lips wrapped around the straw. The sensation being much more pleasant than the cigarette had been before.

“Mmm! Much less sweet than I had expected, I thought they would make all cocktails sweet!”

Leah chuckled and leaned in herself. Sarah watched as the brunette wrapped her own lips around the straw and sucked through it some of the liquid. It was a strange feeling, it was as if intently fixating on this act had the same effect as her sucking on the straw herself. Her mind remained clear and unfazed under the circumstances.

“Not at all! Like most drinks, cocktails too come in many flavors. Be careful though. It may not be sweet, but it packs a punch and still drinks like lemonade.”

Sarah nodded as she made a mental note of it. The three coworkers to their other side were still debating fiercely in the meantime. She could once again smell Leah, the same sweet perfume that had ensnared her during their hug earlier today. Part of her was hungering for more of that warmth.

“So, what are your plans for the rest of the weekend? Have you got anything planned to keep yourself occupied?”

The concept of the weekend suddenly seemed large and imposing. Sarah shook her head, she had no plans. No escape planned from the thoughts that would no doubt come to capture her mind. The memories would surely come at her with full **** as soon as she was alone again.

“That’s no good. I know from experience that you shouldn’t be alone with your thoughts at a moment like this. You know what? There is a music festival in town tomorrow, why don’t we go there?”

Sarah looked up at her coworker and was overcome with a gracious warm feeling. She felt seen, understood, emotional… Tears were welling up in her eyes once more and soon they were flowing over her cheeks.

“Oh no, did I say something weird?”, Leah reached over for a sideways hug. Sarah shook her head through the tears and looked up with an emotionally charged kind of smile. Both the warmth of the half-hug and the stronger whiff of Leah's perfume soothed her emotions.

“No, no, not at all. It’s just that you are so nice to me and I’m just an emotional mess right now. No, I would absolutely welcome the distraction and would love for you to join me.”

“It's settled then!”, Leah smiled and once again took a sip of her drink. Sarah once again look at her utterly transfixed, wondering for the first time what it would feel like if those lips were touching hers. How soft and warm it would feel and how all-encompassing Leah's scent would be in such a situation.