The Other Roommate

20 - Closing A Chapter

"BB!" Alex exclaimed as she stood by the front door, putting her military jacket on. "We woke up at the same time! I had to work 'til three. How am I dressed first? I swear if I'm going to be late for that meeting, you are screwed!"

It was Callie's first day on her new job that Friday and the green-eyed brunette thought her roommate should be on time. She continued to grouse as she slipped a black beanie on and slung her scarf around her neck. She picked up the leather briefcase her numerous sheets of paper straight and crumple free - hanging it over her shoulder.

"Don't you mean you're screwed, DP?" Callie asked, running towards the waiting girl barefoot with her hair barely brushed. She was in a gray ankle-length slim pants, a white button down under a black blazer. She shoved her purse to Alex's chest as she reached for her black stilettos, holding onto her annoyed looking roommate for balance as she slipped them on.

Alex raised her brows, shaking her head as a smirk appeared on her lips. "No, I know I will be in trouble but you will be screwed." She moved her head closer to the younger girl, her lips hovering over Callie's ear. "By me." She whispered. "Now, fix your hair before your new co-workers think you just got screwed."

As much as Callie wanted to feel annoyed, the feel of Alex's breath hitting her ears coupled by the huskiness of her sultry voice sent a wave of tingles to run from her head down to the tip of her toes that took her breath away. Callie shivered as she gulped a much needed dose of oxygen. She would have given in to temptation but it wasn't time permitting. She combed her hair with her hands, narrowing her eyes at her roommate.

The younger brunette cleared her throat, mustering her composure. She raked Alex's entire appearance from the mischievous look of her face, noticing her clothing choice. Alex was wearing tight black pants and a graphic tee under her jacket. It was just her casual clothes except she wore some black lace-up heeled boots.

"Why aren't you dressed for work?"

"I am dressed for work." Alex simply answered, taking Callie's knee-length jacket to help her roommate put it on. "Creative minds shouldn't be confined to wearing boring office clothes. Besides, do you see Denise? She wears whatever she wants."

There isn't any strict dress code in the advertising agency except for executives and managers. They have a very friendly working environment that cater to inventiveness and imagination given that those are necessary for the nature of their jobs.

"Whatever." Callie shook her head condescendingly but swiveled anyway, slipping her arms in the sleeves at the same time. "Where is she anyway?"

"She left. She had to go at least 30 minutes earlier." The green-eyed girl retorted, helping her roommate with her gloves then. "You're about to be late if you don't haul that big ass out the door right now."

Alex made sure her roommate was snug and warm with the knowledge that Callie is easily cold. She led the way down to her car with Callie slightly trailing behind given her particularly high shoes. When the younger girl slipped in the passenger side, her roommate was already enjoying the warmth the car's heater was providing her. The breeze had been significantly colder as November closed in on them.

"Ready?" Alex asked as she hit the brakes, halting the car right in front of Callie's new office building.

It was nothing but an ordinary gray-colored building with no specific architectural defining design that set it apart from the others. It was an average polished structure that screamed correctness and the shiny plaques that were bolted right out front boasted several names of lawyers.

Callie shook her head. She forcefully blew air out of her mouth, coping with her nerves. She was definitely petrified, especially with the fact that she absolutely has no idea what she will be doing in that office. The knowledge that she had had been out of school for several years and is without any familiarity or experience in the office worried her to a great extent.

Alex sighed. She did not like seeing her roommate stressed. She had consistently tried to alleviate the tension in Callie's mind or the burden in her chest when Alex notices a slight sign of such troubles. The green-eyed girl is naturally caring but she found herself caring for Callie the most.

"You'll be fine." She cooed, interlocking her hand with Callie's and brought them to her lips. She gave the back of the younger girl's hand a lingering kiss as her eyes met Callie's brown ones. "Call me if you need anything - absolutely anything."

"Thank you." Callie looked at her with such admiration, her heart was swelling and spewing rainbows and confetti.

With a deep breath, Callie reluctantly let go of Alex's hand. She reached for the handle to open the car only to be halted by the green-eyed girl.

"You forgot something."

"What?"

"This." Alex urgently unbuckled her seatbelt and latched her hands on either side of Callie's cheeks. She gave her a fervent kiss, weakening their entire bodies and dissolving their bones to nothing but jelly as their hearts virtually punched their chests. "A kiss for good luck." The green-eyed girl muttered as she pulled away momentarily. She brought their lips together once again, grinning. "And a kiss for me, because I said so."

Callie chuckled, smiling broadly. She planted a delicate kiss on Alex's forehead, mumbling, "Drive safe, DP. I'll see you later."

"Have fun, BB. Don't stress too much." Alex kept her eyes closed, relishing their closeness as she inhaled the sweet scent of Callie's perfume that had mixed perfectly with her natural scent. "I'll come pick you up later."

"Okay." Callie breathed. She reached behind Alex's neck, pulling her for another kiss. "Maybe one more, just in case."

Time was unforgiving and Callie had to go - otherwise, she would most definitely be late on her first day. Alex watched as her roommate climbed out of her car and took a couple of steps away from her. She was immediately longing for Callie which she found ridiculous given that she could still see her.

There was just a lingering despondency in her chest that told her that job would lure Callie away from her.

"Hey Cal!" She called, prompting Callie to look back at her inquisitively. "You look hot!"

Smiling as she rolled her eyes, the younger brunette felt elated. She may or may not have chosen the tight jeans to impress her roommate. By the looks of it, she was succeeding.

"Thanks! You're not too bad yourself!" Callie winked at Alex, resting her hands on her waist. "Go!" She sighed in frustration despite the grin over her lips, whispering. "I love you."

Callie's feelings for her roommate only grew exponentially as time seemed to be selfish. Surely she could think of so many other things she could do by herself, but every time Alex left her in their apartment alone, she often finds herself waiting and waiting alone. Standing on those steps to her new job, Callie could not help but dwell in her thoughts. Things were changing - chapters are closing. She hated that change meant being away from her roommate for at least a third of their 24 hours.

With a slight wave, Alex was off, smiling contentedly. Callie could easily make or break her day. Even if she might have the most horrible work day, with the knowledge of seeing her roommate, it didn't matter. Alex could still smile because of Callie.

"Porcelain Butt!" Denise greeted as Alex pushed the glass door to the partially-filled colorful meeting room. She glanced at her wrist watch and looked back to the green-eyed girl. "You're almost late. You're never late."

Denise was sitting on the end of the large white rectangular table, to the back. The chairs were all red. Two walls were a hodgepodge of pixelated colors and right in front of the glass door is a wide window that ran from one side to the other.

"Sorry." Alex breathlessly spoke. She took her jacket off and hung it over the chair next to Denise. She took a seat after waving at their co-workers with a forced smile. She set her briefcase on the table, looking for blank sheets of paper, a pen and a pencil. "I had to take Queen BB to work. She was taking ages to finish. That girl doesn't seem to be good for day jobs. She spends the entire time preparing whining over how sleepy she is."

The green-eyed girl unconsciously smiled, thinking about her roommate.

"Do I live with an old married couple now?" Denise jested, pushing her cousin by the arm. "You're actually complaining, too."

Alex attempted to give Denise her most terrifying scowl but failed to do so. The whole "officially a couple" issue has still been pestering her to no end. It still bothered her. She wants to be able to introduce her roommate to the world as her girlfriend but she seemed to have not found a perfect time to ask her.

Any time would be a perfect time for Callie though. The girl is head over heels for the porcelain-skinned girl, albeit the fact that she doesn't want an extravagant show just to put a name to whatever relationship they have. Callie had always enjoyed the simple pleasures of life.

Denise sensed the uncharacteristically silent woman, knowing what exactly she was thinking about. Fortunately for Alex, the other people inside the sufficiently large room were too engrossed in their own petty conversations.

"Are you two girlfriends, at least?"

Alex shook her head furiously, unintentionally snapping at her cousin as her blood suddenly boiled. "No. Who cares about labels, Denise?"

Denise widened her eyes, unable to stop herself from speaking. "Uh...women do?"

"Settle down, everyone!" Rachel came in with clients just before Alex could angrily respond. The oldest of the three friends came beaming at everyone as she was oblivious with what went down with her friends.

She showed the three properly dressed gentlemen who looked to be in their late thirties or early forties to the front where a large magnetic white board is securely plastered to the wall. While the clients sat, Rachel stood in the middle to give a briefing. A laptop and a digital projector were set right next to her.

"These are Peter Masterson, Alexander Khan and Craig Bennett from a well-known company for innovative mattresses that alleviate various sleeping difficulties experienced by different consumers." The advertising manager extended her arm, gesturing to each person who briefly stood up to acknowledge the entire room. "They are looking into product development. Essentially, they will be introducing complementing products such as bed frames but they will also be releasing contemporary furniture."

Rachel turned to the laptop and showed a couple of pictures, and discussed an overview of the company for formality. She had already provided her team with the necessary information days prior to the meeting. Soon, one of the three gentlemen took the advertising manager's place and began explaining the goal of their subcontracting AdInitiative.

All throughout the hour and a half of the meeting, everyone wrote little notes given their responsibilities. Alex didn't need to put too much effort with her job, she only needed to make a lopsided chair and the beginning of the lay out on the application she learned on the first day of her job.

After the meeting, Alex retreated to her wide cubicle that were filled with her numerous artwork, previous projects and Callie's banana painting. It had always calmed her down when she sees the chaotically painted piece. There were several pictures of her and her roommate, too, along with their three other friends, and of course, her family.

Everything in that office was a source of inspiration.

Alex's drawing table had three lamps attached to them, strategically placed to provide ample lighting while three cups were filled with various pens, pencils and brushes to cater to her drawing needs. Alex was happy in that office. The only thing she needed to be ecstatic was Callie sitting next to her.

Callie was sitting on a brown leather club chair in James Hamilton's large office. As expected, it was traditional looking with traditional yet sophisticated furniture. The office was filled with various books and intricate woodwork with diplomas and certificates proudly hanging on walls.

She had just been showed to the office by a woman she forgot to ask the name of. On her waist band hung a new badge bearing the company's name and crest, her picture, name and "Intern" printed in bold letters. On the other side of the white plastic card is her emergency information with the name and number of a certain person.

"Callie!" James exclaimed as he walked in his office. His face lit up as soon as his eyes fell on the girl, awkwardly tapping her fingers on his table. "It's good to see you after so many years! Give your uncle a hug!"

Callie did as told, sauntering to the tall African-American man wearing a suit and an impeccable grin. The man's throaty chuckle somehow quelled her nerves but was still questioning her abilities. She was still very ignorant with the whole paralegal subject.

"How are your parents?" The lawyer asked, gesturing for his new intern to take a seat while he made his way to his own chair. His short, tight curls had a slight graying while he had laugh lines around the area of his mouth. "I haven't heard from them in a really long time. My family and I have been meaning to have dinner with you but my baby said you worked at night."

"They're good, Uncle James." She nodded, clasping her hands together. She had not necessarily talked to her parents since calling it quits with Colin Grant but they've been exchanging a couple of text messages. "I did. I did. I liked that job but it's probably time to let it go. How are Miss Andrea and your daughters?"

James and Callie casually conversed, catching up on what they missed on each other's lives. It was mostly James asking about the Maxwell's. They soon discussed the basics of Callie's job - organizing documents and making summaries among others. She was practically going to be working alongside his assistant and a part-time intern who happened to be studying law.

They then discussed about her oversized salary which was too much for an intern and was practically twice her salary at Chug. She complained but was immediately dismissed by the lawyer.

The conversation ended with an invitation to dinner with the entire Hamilton family and Callie's close friends. She was ecstatic when she found out she could bring Alex along. Callie was sent to James's assistant's slightly smaller office which was conjoined with his somehow.

Callie was expecting the same brunette lady to be sitting on the chair. Instead, she found amber-colored hair with her back on her, standing by a file cabinet, reading a document. Her long, shiny mane draped over her back while some provided a makeshift curtain by the side of her face. Despite the limited visuals, Callie easily recognized the girl which immediately sent an uncomfortable feeling at the pit of her stomach.

Callie dreaded having to deal with her...acquaintance knowing that the girl she loves would be uncomfortable. She closed her eyes, quietly groaning. She sent her head back, letting out a sigh in frustration. Sydney's mere presence physically hurt her given that her entire stomach turned while her heart was apprehended.

She had not even told Alex about her recent run in with Colin and now she had to tell her about the certain girl working with her, too.

Perfect! Just what I needed. Callie grumbled in her thoughts.

"Oh, my god! Callie!" Sydney Tucker, in all her pale skin glory excitedly exclaimed as she turned around.

Callie jumped with the sudden outburst - luring her out of her wandering mind. She forced a smile as her chest heaved with her deep and rapid breathing.

"Sydney, hey..." She trailed of, unsure how to continue the sentence.

It was ostensibly less enthusiastic but Sydney seemed to be oblivious about it. Instead, Sydney engulfed the younger girl in a tight embrace, mumbling various merriments about seeing Callie again. They pulled away but Sydney kept her grasp on her upper arms.

"What are you doing here?" Callie asked - her voice laced with contempt as she furrowed her brows and crumpled her nose.

"You're so cute!" Sydney celebrated much to her dismay. For a smart girl, Sydney was not catching onto Callie's poorly hidden discomfort. "Jazmin and I used come here a lot and I admired her dad's dedication and hard work." She explained, grinning as she shrugged. "So, I asked him if I could come here when I didn't have classes to attend, and here I am."

"What about you though?" Sydney took a step but never untangled her hands from Callie's arms. She practically slid them down to the younger girl's wrist. Her eyes bulged out as an idea popped in her head. She gasped. "Oh my god! You're working here?"

Callie nodded. The discomfort she felt in her entire being exaggerated that it churned her stomach into making her believe she was about to suffer diarrhea. She wanted to bolt out of there. Thinking about the alien job was hard enough and then she has to deal with the overly nice woman who was despised by her roommate. All the pressure crowded her head, causing it to ache while she felt lightheaded at the same time.

"I'm so excited. You're going to love it here." Sydney leapt in bliss while Callie's eyes struggled to focus on her blurring vision as she fought to keep her mediocre grin.

Suddenly, Sydney came to a halt as her expressions contorted into a pathetic looking frown. There was an uncanny glint in her eyes that was the polar opposite of the frown she was wearing. "What about Alex? What did she say? Is she staying at the bar?"

Callie could not help but scoff, laughing sarcastically. She still sported the same surly smile that never reached her wide open eyes. She wanted to play nice for Sydney but she felt attacked somehow. With Alex's capabilities belittled, she could not help but feel protective of her. Why did Sydney have to go there?

"Oh!" Callie feigned enthusiasm. "My girlfriend's very supportive. She actually is the lead illustrator at AdIntiative. Rachel practically begged her to sign the contract because she's that good. Apparently, the clients love her, too. She's been busy all week, being in-demand and all - but we find time for each other." She divulged, quickly flashing a very satisfied tight-lip smile. "I'm really proud of her. Nothing compares to my Alex."

Callie did not care how Sydney perceived her, she was just happy with how it untangled her wrist from Sydney's grasp. Despite lying about their relationship status, she was happy to actually say the "G" word. Her short, snarky speech threw Sydney off. She did not expect such tone in Callie's voice and such intensity in her eyes.

Thankfully, James's assistant showed up who introduced herself as Kim. The woman who looked to be in her late twenties showed Callie to a desk right in front of hers. It had a laptop computer along with various notepads and a cup of pens. Sydney only had a chair on the other side of Kim's desk. She wasn't always there anyway.

Callie's day drug slowly with her presence. She and Kim had spent the entire day together, answering phones and orienting her with the different kinds of documents she will be handling. She had lunch with Sydney but she had to leave soon after.

Callie could finally breathe when the clock struck four. She finished an hour earlier than Alex but works thirty minutes earlier. She would have stayed back and wait for her roommate but seeing Sydney in the office made her want to hurl in anxiety. After bidding James and everyone else goodbye, she decided on just taking the bus.

"Rivera, someone's here to see you." Alex's male coworker yelled from the other side of the room. Her cubicle was set to a corner which is next to Denise's and is the closest to Rachel's office.

Alex groaned, furrowing her brows. She was still hunched down to her drawing table, making adjustments to her drawing. She was steadying an ordinary sheet of white paper while her other hand held onto a felt tip pen.

It was not part of her job. In reality, she had nothing to do and was just keeping busy with a sketch of the bar she was still working in.

"I'm busy! Can you send them aw-"

"Too late." A familiar husky voice interrupted followed by an adorable chuckle that melted Alex's heart. Her tone was significantly and perceptibly happy.

Alex swiftly whirled her head to the direction of the voice, smiling brightly as she saw Callie leaning by the edge of her cubicle, hiding one hand behind.

"Hello, hot stuff." Callie winked, sending a familiar overwhelming feeling in Alex's chest while warmth crawled to her entire face.

Boy, was Alex enamored by her. She quickly stood up, latching her lips onto her roommate's as her hands were instinctively set on her waist. Callie's free hand rested by Alex's jaw with her fingers behind the illustrator's neck.

"Hey! How did you get here?"

Callie shrugged, smiling proudly. "Public transportation. I didn't get lost."

Alex chuckled, planting a quick kiss on her roommate's lips. She was craving her lips with their eight-hour exile. "I would have gone to your office and pick you up, Cal. I was going to."

"I wanted to surprise you." The younger girl pulled out a red long-stemmed rose from her back, shyly offering the flower to her surprised roommate. "I know we don't really give each other flowers but when I saw this I thought of you. This reminded me of your lips and how I wanted to kiss them 30 minutes sooner."

The day could not get any better and Alex could not understand how her entire body could house the joy she was feeling. Everything seemed so devastatingly beautiful all of a sudden just by looking into the brown of Callie's eyes. She accepted the rose and pressed her lips on Callie's once more.

"No one has given me flowers before." Alex mumbled, bowing her head down as she felt slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I'm glad to be the first." Callie giggled, lifting her roommate's chin up, coaxing her to meet her eyes. She could not celebrate being the first flower giver given the fact that no i***t thought about that. "You're more beautiful than that though. I'm sorry, rose."

The green-eyed girl huffed in amusement. She shook her head as her eyes exuded of adoration. It just made sense to her why she was in love. It was a different feeling when she was with Felicity. She was certain she loved the blonde but she could not recall craving her presence all the time. Callie had just made her life a never ending bright and beautiful day.

Suddenly, she couldn't contain it any longer, she had to say the big three words. There wasn't much restraining her anymore. With all the love and affection crawling through the depths of her skin, she need to say it. The time just felt right.

"Cal," She began as she reached for the younger girl's hands. She was fueled by adrenaline and overflowing with love, and the green of her eyes had an unmistakable glint of bliss albeit the anxiety.

"Callie!” Rachel and Denise said in unison, interrupting Alex, as both rushed to Callie's side.

Alas, two friends were just as ecstatic to see Callie, too. Instead of releasing the pent up feelings of love, Alex was forced to shove them back up while she was filled with frustration. There will always be someone in the way. She wanted to assert her presence but cowered in fear once more. Alex watched as the three women squealed in happiness - smiling as she saw Callie's grin.

"I thought Porcelain Butt was picking you up?" Denise asked, eyeing Alex suspiciously as she caught sight of the rose the older girl was twirling in her fingers.

"I missed her." Callie blurted out with no inhibitions. It was true. She had spent her entire day grumbling about Sydney while thinking about Alex and counting the seconds they will reunite once more. "Don't get me wrong, office work is mentally draining but it's boring as hell."

"It's not when you work here. There's always something to do.” Rachel impishly muttered, looking over to Alex's drawing table. She winked at Alex, smirking as she did so. "But that doesn't mean 'Porcelain Butt' doesn't miss you, too."

"Oh, I missed her, alright." Alex practically yanked Callie away from her coworkers, wrapping her arms around her roommate who was laughing but wasn't complaining at all. She narrowed her eyes at the two stunned intruders. "Now, get out of my cubicle and stop calling me Porcelain Butt."

Rachel gasped jokingly. "Are you being disrespectful to your superior, Porcelain Butt?" She rolled her eyes, feigning offence while barely maintaining the angered look on her face. "I guess I should send you home early as punishment."

"Really?" Alex and Callie gleefully asked in unison, looking to Rachel's direction with hopeful eyes. "Please?"

The advertising manager smiled softly, nodding at both of them. "You didn't have to stay, Alex. You knew I only needed you in the morning for the meeting but when I saw you working on the project, I didn't complain. The faster we finish projects, the better."

"What about me?" Denise complained immediately, pointing to her chest.

She looked so lost and so betrayed while her roommates were celebrating Alex's freedom for the day. The previous bartenders pressed their lips against each other, engaging themselves in a passionate kiss. Their lips were in perfect harmony as their tongues began to take action, seemingly forgetting about the two other people in the cubicle.

"Uh...where's the shame?" Denise lightheartedly rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, butthead!" Alex mumbled within the kiss with her voice muffled. She and Callie grinned but never parted their lips.

Rachel chuckled, cupping her mouth while her entire torso shook in her silenced laughter. "You don't have a job to attend to tonight. It's just another thirty minutes, Denise. You'll live."

Callie told Alex she wanted to drive. The green-eyed girl didn't do much protesting. She needed sleep for her second job. She only had two hours of sleep before going to the advertising agency. Thankfully, Mason allowed her to come to work an hour late. Only having four hours of sleep at most in a day for a week drained all of Alex's energy.

"You should sleep." Callie instructed as soon as Alex found a tumbler she filled halfway with water to put the rose in. She wrapped her arms around her roommate from the back, kissing her neck innocently. "I'll wake you up at seven fifteen and walk you to work."

The chaste kiss sent an abnormal warmth to cloak Alex no matter the intention. But her eyelids were harder to keep agape and her weary heart had been beating irregularly from the lack of sleep.

"If I wasn't so sleepy, you would have been screwed." Alex sleepily mumbled, smirking to which Callie shoved her slightly from the back. The porcelain-skinned girl turned to face her roommate, slinging her arms around her. "Can you please hold me when I sleep?"

Both women changed into their usual sleeping clothes. Callie usually wears a nightgown or ridiculously short shorts and a top that barely covers her torso. Alex would have complained but knowing she sleeps in the same bed as her roommate, it didn't take much convincing.

The green-eyed girl laid her head on Callie's chest, immediately relaxing as she reacquainted herself with the steady beat of her roommate's heart. It had become her hypnotizing rhythm, sending her to the arms of deep slumber.

The younger girl entertained herself doing research on her job and what was expected of her. The task became too tedious that she found herself just staring at her roommate's peaceful form. Alex's brows and forehead looked youthful without all the furrowing while her tensed lips showed a slight smile.

Callie made Alex and herself a sandwich for dinner while the latter prepared for work, two hours later. They munched on the food on the three-block walk to Chug while holding hands. Callie took her roommate to work as promised, kissing her on the lips before bidding her farewell for the mean time.

"Rivera." Mason called, peering from his office as soon as he saw the green-eyed girl come through the back door. "Get in here for a second."

Alex was still too tired to protest. She did as told and headed towards Mason's office without a word. She covered her entire face, yawning when she came to a stop right in front of her manager.

"I'm sorry about that." She muttered, rubbing her glossed eyes with the back of her hands. "Am I in trouble again?" She slightly chuckled, sighing.

Mason shook his head, tapping his fingers successively on the arm rests of his chair. "When do you want to leave?"

The question drew Alex's attention and worried her. She stood up, titling her head slightly as she scrutinized her boss. The last thing Alex wanted to do was offend Mason with the knowledge that she was leaving after Callie left two days prior. It was definitely a problem for a manager.

Mason didn't show any grievances, he merely looked inquisitive.

"Honestly?" Alex raised her brows. She chose honesty despite the fact that heartbeat had gone erratic while her breathing grew laborious with the anxiety creeping in on her. "If you have someone, I would really want to go as soon as possible. I don't mean to complain but I'm just so exhausted. I need some sleep and maybe another form of that, too but I can't."

Mason chuckled, shaking his head. "Maxwell isn't pleasing you?"

The green-eyed girl waved her hand dismissively. Her friendship with her boss had transcended personal boundaries which seemed to be beneficial than detrimental. It is their friendship that made it hard for Alex to hand her resignation letter over. The friendship is also the reason why it was difficult for Mason to approve of it aside from the fact that Alex is good at her job and will be a loss to the bar.

"Oh, she is." She widened her eyes, shaking her head. "I'm just really tired. I virtually can't stay awake."

With that, Mason slapped his head in defeat - unable to do anything but laugh. "On a more serious note," He diverted their conversation back to the original purpose. "I actually called you here to let you know Wesley found a replacement and she's been training with Will since this afternoon." He nodded in approval, pursing his lips. "She's good - quick study."

Alex felt a hint of remorse from giving the guy such a hard time. Wesley would talk to her and ask her of work-related questions and she would usually just shrug and pay no attention to the poor guy. Thankfully, Callie was there to be nice to him.

"I hope you know I don't want to let you go but, I understand. This job isn't for everyone. Maxwell was a good bartender, too." Mason began, smiling compassionately. "Do you like your new job?"

A tug at Alex's lips revealed a shy smile. "Yeah, I do." Shyly smiled, not intending on rubbing her delight on the msn. A small frown immediately took ownership of her lips as she thought of Callie's insignificant nitpicking. "Callie isn't too happy for some reason though. It's just her first day but tomorrow's Saturday. At least, she could regroup then."

"I'm guessing you want to spend time with her." He looked at her suspiciously, brows high up.

Alex bowed her head down - feeling significantly down with the thought of leaving Callie by herself again. "Yes, sir but I have responsibilities. We do have a couple of hours before work though."

"I just told you we found a replacement. That means you're off the hook after your shift tomorrow." Mason offered her a gentle smile, standing up to give the younger girl a hug.

"Oh my god." Alex's eyes bulged out as a mix of emotions crowded her chest. Her throat constricted as her eyes brimmed with tears. "Thank you for everything."

Leaving Chug was like leaving a home for her. The place had allowed her to provide for herself and her sister. She had met a lot of good people who have come and gone but her heart felt a little heavier knowing that she was to leave, too. Despite certain problems, she felt at home and she liked most of her coworkers. She didn't have to be anything but herself and her friends, especially Mason, accepted her.

She owed a lot to Chug and most of her firsts with Callie were spent in the loud confines of that bar. She would be leaving a part of herself in there and she knew in her heart that she would be coming back, maybe not to work but to enjoy herself with a bunch of friends.

"You put up with me and my hothead for a really long time." Alex sniffled, pulling away from her boss.

Mason let out a throaty laugh. He tapped Alex by the shoulder with eyes gleaming with pride. He looked at the younger girl as if she was his daughter. "No, thank you for making my job interesting."

Alex threw her head back, chuckling softly while she clutched her belly. She did not have it in her to counter his statement given that she did cause a lot of trouble in that bar.

"My friends are throwing a party in two weeks, you should come, Mase. It's going to be on a weekday, so our friends from here could come, too."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Rivera."

Alex went about her usual routine but was feeling extremely drained, physically and emotionally. She felt despondent as she kept telling herself it was the last time she would be polishing glasses, cutting lemon and lime, mixing drinks and such. Her tears were threatening to spill when Randy Burk and a couple of servers congratulated her on her new job. Several patrons came up to the green-eyed girl, shaking her hand or hugging her.

As luck would have it, not everybody was happy about her departure. There was a grumpy blonde, begrudgingly looking at the happy crowd. Alex was uncertain if her bitter deportment was from envy with the green-eyed girl finally free from the job, or if it was that her chances of scoring Alex had been even bleaker. Fortunately, the blonde was too consumed in her pride to approach the bartender just yet.

The night progressed and Alex was thankful for the downpour of orders. She was busy but she was pulled away from her depressing thoughts. Wesley worked with her and to Alex's surprise, she was not dropping snarky comments or any rude movement of the eyes. She was just too excited to go home and tell Callie about the good news.

"Hey! Hot stuff! Four Cosmos over here please!" A girl sang followed by an unmistakably high pitched giggle.

Alex immediately recognized the voice, narrowing her eyes as she shifted her gaze to her left where none other than Denise Hansen sat. Denise looked extremely amused. She just used the very words Callie said earlier that day.

"Was that a real order?" The green-eyed girl looked at her cousin incredulously to which Denise smirked while nodding. "All to yourself? What are you doing here?"

"I need two double shots of brandy and a mudslide, on the fly, Alex." Felicity interrupted, smiling deviously at an annoyed Denise who looked ready to pounce. She leaned closer to the green-eyed brunette who was angrily jabbing buttons on the register.

"Wesley, could you please take care of that?" Alex asked nicely, not bothering to look up to the blonde that was blatantly annoying her. "I have Cosmos to build."

"Sure!" The curly-haired boy enthusiastically retorted, washing his hands rapidly after throwing the cleaning rag by the sink.

"You're gonna have to look at me some time, Alex." The blonde grumbled, feeling the heat of her anger rise up to her head which caused her ears to turn red.

Alex took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before looking up at the blonde. She figured it was probably the last time she had to put up with the attention seeking ex. However, instead of focusing her eyes on Felicity with the intention of scowling at her, her attention was lured by something else entirely. It was more like somebody else though. To the side of the blonde's head, a good distance away from her was the girl she had been dying to see.

But Callie looked...different.

"Oh my..." Alex breathlessly whispered, unable to speak up as the air inside her lungs had been forced out with the speed of her pulse. She shuddered, feeling a wave of goose bumps descend from her spine.

The green-eyed girl's reaction caused the blonde in front of her to follow her line of sight. Felicity's jaw fell to the floor as she took a closer look at what she was looking at. It was as if she was looking at a mirage and if she looked away it would be gone. She badly wished for Callie to be gone though.

Callie wore a tight black dress that stopped mid-thigh. The dress was practically her own skin, flattering every curve in her body. She straightened her long dark brown mane, framing her face beautifully. Callie did her make-up - donning smoky eyes and red lipstick while the blush accentuated her cheek bones. She completed her look with some red strappy heels that matched her lips.

That was not all, Callie looked extremely confident. Her stride had a very noticeable command to it, causing dancing individuals to pave a way for her to walk through. The steady pace made her glossy hair bounce as air stunningly blew strands away from her face.

Callie seductively looked at her roommate through hooded eyes as her mouth was slightly parted. Her entire look caused an uproar in Alex's tired body, spiking her energy up. Her forehead began to sweat as her hands grew ice-cold. She was happy to see Callie, she was ecstatic even but she was beginning to feel nervous amid her excitement.

"Hey, pretty girl!" Alex muttered, barely able to keep her voice from wavering.

"Hey, sexy!" Callie smirked, right before attaching her hands on either side of her roommate's cheeks and pulling her in for a deep and hungry kiss. The younger girl sighed, contentedly, keeping her eyes closed. "Hmm...I missed this."

A gush of euphoria spiked through Alex's body, dissolving all of her composure. She smiled broadly in the midst of her struggle to breathe. In that moment, she was complete. Alex was irrevocably happy.

Callie turned to her side, only then did she notice Felicity Meade slack jawed with significantly gaped eyes. The younger girl felt triumphant. The blonde had caused them unnecessary problems that hindered the roommates from expressing their feelings for each other. She thought some vindication was necessary.

"Stop trying to flirt with my girl." Callie bit out before planting another kiss on Alex's lips. She has had enough of people trying to drive a wedge between her and her roommate. It was time that she set her foot down and set some boundaries.

The angered tone in Callie's voice snapped the blonde out of her trance and stomped away with the drinks she ordered in tow. The green-eyed girl was easily turned on by the bold move. It didn't require much sass from Callie given that Alex's entire body craved her the moment the younger girl came into view. There was just something about a dominant Callie that she loved.

"Get it, Callie!" Denise happily exclaimed. She nodded at Alex, smirking. "Hey, Porcelain Butt! My money's on Callie!"

Rachel threw her arm out, nodding frantically with a wide grin. "Mine, too, Porcelain Butt!"

Jazmin chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "Same here but we want the Cosmos now, please, Porcelain Butt."

Alex rolled her eyes upon hearing every single one of their close friends call her the dreadful nickname. She relented to her request, pulling out four martini glasses. She would much rather be enjoying drinks with her friends but knowing they were there for her elated Alex. At least, with them, Felicity wouldn't be able to pull some moves on Alex.

"I hope you don't mind the extra business." Callie apologetically smiled as she her roommate built the drinks. "Denise didn't like my whining at home. I told her I missed you. They wanted to see you, too and so, we came here."

"I'm just happy you're here." Alex cooed, smirking at Callie as she thought of something. "Maybe you can pay for the drinks in bed later." She winked.

Callie understood her roommate's insinuation which caused her to take a deep breath to steady herself. The mere thought of Alex weakened her knees as an overpowering surge of thirst took hold of her. She could barely keep herself together.

"Maxwell!" Mason interrupted them just in time.

"Hey, Mason!"

Her previous boss came to greet the younger girl, drawing Callie back to Earth. She was thankful for the intrusion and was happily engaging herself to the casual conversation about her new job. Callie then introduced the other three women to the tall, intimidating man just before Mason left the group to themselves.

The rest of Alex's shift was fulfilling. She was allowed to hit the dance floor with her friends, dancing the night away while stealing kisses from Callie here and there. It was a great end to a beautiful chapter in Alex's life.