Covering Bases

bradley.

Cory heard his phone go off. He picked up the phone to see Bradley's name along with two unread messages.

Bradley: Hey. Thanks again for today.

Feels good to know somebody is in
my corner

He smiled at himself. It was 12:37am. Even though the President of UBA's news division didn't start until 6am, he knew Bradley had to wake up in less than three hours.

Cory:        Anything for a friend...
                    Ya know, you should be sleeping.

!!!

Bradley: Too many thoughts whirling
                    around my head...

                    Is the great Cory Ellison actually
                    worried about me??

Bradley's response was interesting. Cory pondered the idea of the brunette wanting him to care about her. Though she had no knowledge of the altercation, he had confronted Mitch to protect the younger woman. Cory didn't need to feel validated, he decides to keep it to himself.

Cory:      Well, when my favourite anchor is
                   is about to implode the network
                   that employed her, not at all.
                   However, she's been up since 3am
                   the day before and I care for her
                   well-being.

                   Try to catch some rest Bradley. 
                   The next 48 hours are going to be
                   gruelling.

The woman didn't reply right away. He wondered if he crossed a line. After she showed up at his door drunk, he couldn't help but care for her. Two minutes passed by until Cory's phone lit up again.

Bradley: You too, Cory. 

Cory's face fell. Shit... Did he just fuck everything by showing his cards? He put his phone back on the nightstand to the left of his bed. He sighed and started to get comfortable under the sheets. As the blankets were being shuffled around, he heard a buzz.

Bradley: I appreciate you.

Finally satisfied, Cory smirked slightly. Whether Bradley knew it or not, Cory Ellison has a soft spot for her.
———
Bradley had been tossing and turning all night. A small part of her wished Cory would text her back. But that wasn't the only thing keeping the restless woman awake. Alex, Mitch, Hannah, Chip, Cory, Fred... Every single one of them will be impacted the most by this interview. She can't help but wonder if any of this is worth it in the grand scheme of things. Is she a bad person for using these people's decisions against them?

"All of this stress for the truth..." She sighed. Bradley turned her head to look at the time. 2:23am. She closes her eyes and tries to ignore the plethora of scenarios running through her mind.

3:18am. Surprised that she was able to nap, Bradley gets out of bed and starts getting ready for work. As she brushes her teeth, Alex's words ring in her ears. "He was right. He's getting what he wants from you." Bradley knew she and Alex were less than friends. Especially after the Mitch situation. But, was there truth laced in what she said? Or was her co-anchor trying to manipulate her into dropping the interview?

She rinses her mouth and starts brushing her hair. "She wouldn't have been so pissed if she were innocent in all this..." The woman said to herself. Bradley's phone read 3:29am so she made her was downstairs. She didn't bother changing into her show attire yet, deciding to wait until she gets to her dressing room. As Bradley walked down the hallway, she saw Cory's room and felt a feeling in her chest. She smiled. He has always been such a gentleman when they were together. The man respected her enough to take care of her when she drunkly showed up to his room.

The anchor won't lie to herself, she thinks he's attractive in more ways than one. But Bradley doesn't know how dangerous exploring uncharted territory is, so she does what she knows. She isolates herself and pushes people away.

Since she was a little girl, Bradley learned to be independent. She saw help from others as a weakness. Vulnerability of any kind was a weakness. Bradley knew her stubborn nature made her a better journalist and that's what was important to her. Gathering facts and spreading information through an objective lens.

Bradley got into the backseat of the car and continued to think about Cory. The woman didn't believe in marriage, or even love. Her childhood is filled with anger, resentment, and plain old bullshit. Her father killed a kid drunk driving, she fought her mother for years after reporting her dad to the cops, and the guys she surrounded herself with were toxic. Bradley knew her mother loathed her deep down. Blamed her for life being shitty any chance she got. She tried her best to learn from her family's behaviour but their imprint on her psyche was deep.

"We're here, Ms. Jackson." said the driver, interrupting her existential analysis.

"Thank you. Have a nice day." Bradley says with a smile. She closes the car door and looks up at the building. She feels her insides twist a bit as she sees herself and Alex smiling side by side. Things seemed like they were going well and in the blink of an eye, it all turned to hell. "I didn't want things to be this way between us. I never had any intentions to hurt you."  The brunette thought to herself. But Alex was apart of enabling Mitch and his behaviour towards women in the workplace. "How can she expect loyalty when she's never once tried to earn my trust..."

Bradley shook her head and walked through the doors. The doors that will soon decide her future. She approached the elevator and went to hit the button when she sees Alex walking behind her. "Fuck." Bradley thought. Alex stood beside Bradley as the elevator made its way down the building. The silence was deafening. Bradley was thinking of saying something, but everything Alex has said the other night came rushing in all at once. "Fuck her!" she thought.

The elevator doors finally opened and both ladies stepped in. Yesterday, Alex had met with Fred to get Bradley fired. Bradley went to Cory with a plan to undermine UBA and take Fred Micklen out of his chair. The air was thick with tension. Every second of silence lasted an eternity. Bradley couldn't wait to get away from her co-anchor. Alex Levy was a toxic person who benefit from the silent suffering of these women.

Ding! The elevator doors opened and Bradley took the opportunity to walk out first. She strode to her dressing room, not wanting to speak with anyone right now. The brunette walked into the room and immediately shut the door. She let out a sigh and started to get dressed.

"Knock, knock."  said a familiar voice outside her dressing room. Bradley felt her mood heighten instantly. She opened the door to see Cory with his usual boyish charm.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Pres?" Bradley teased with a smile.

"It's no fun when you're not there." Cory challenged.

Bradley's cheeks turned three shades of pink. The anchor couldn't believe she was acting like a teenager. She remembers when she woke up to him looking at her in his bed.

"I know, my face can be startling in an intimate setting." he had said as she admired the way the sun hit his face that morning.

"So, what are you doing here?" Bradley said as she cleared her throat. She didn't know why he had this effect on her. It made her uncomfortable. But she was also curious...

"Just wanted to say hi. See how you're doing with the whole weight of this takedown on your shoulders." he said with a coy smile.

"Trust me, it's all I've been thinking about. How am I doing?" she chuckled. "I'm about to put everyone on the show at risk of losing their jobs. So, maybe not as great as you're doing." she said seriously.

"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you, Bradley." Cory said as he put his hand on her arm.

Bradley gently retracted her arm. "Stop. I can't do this, Cory." she said looking into his brown eyes. "Not now. Maybe never..."

She closes the door on him.
***

Thanks for reading! I'm excited for the next few chapters as I have a pretty good idea on where I want Bradley and Cory to go. If you enjoyed this story, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

- nova w.