Hope; Taywhora

1

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

She's running late again, and as much as Tia's found a soft spot for her she doesn't want to test it too much. Her head is pounding and she's hoping Bim is suffering just as much, even though they never do.

Unlike Aurora, Bimini fortunately has a day off today, which they'll probably spend in bed with a good tv show and a takeaway. Lucky bitch.

To a certain extent she knows she can only blame herself, drinking way more than your limit the day before a big pitch is something only she would do. She knows people will judge her for coming into the office stinking of wine so early in the morning but she's judging herself just as harshly so quite frankly they can fuck off.

Before she has time to question whether her eye-blinding, yellow, checkered suit and sunglasses is a bit overkill for work, even if it is a fashion company, she's out the house and running all the way to the nearest tube station.

The compartment is full to the brim, so maybe that flashy perfume wasn't the best choice because the group of men hovering at the end of the carriage are giving her filthy looks. It's fine, she ignores them and occupies her hands in reaching for the overhead bar, just about reaching it comfortably in her heels.

People shuffle on and off as each stop goes by, including the men who smell suspiciously of weed now that they're closer. Typical that she got dirty looks for her perfume but they got nothing. She sighs, sexism is an issue for another time.

At least her stop is here now and she can get out into the streets, instead of being cramped up against everyone and their aunt.

She settles her shoulders back, rocking her hair in tow, and puts in her earbuds instead of listening to the thick blend of voices and footsteps from the street.

She's unconsciously walking to the beat of the song and she can tell she's drawing attention to herself, if that's because of her previously aforementioned, loud outfit or her soft mumbling of the lyrics she's not sure but it doesn't really hold any significance.

She's comfortable on the five minute walk from the station, with the subtle spring breeze keeping her relatively cool, but not so that she would shiver.

She stays humming along to her song when her earbuds were out and she was entering the office, her mind remaining in its bubble-like state. She stays that way until she walks straight into Tia.

"Aurora, I'm really trying to find reasons to keep you here but showing up late isn't going to help your case!"

"Good morning to you too, Tia." She smiles bitterly, biting back the urge to comment on the dreadful green number Tia's got on.

"Thanks for that. Everyone's already in the board room, there's a new girl starting today." She announces, handing one of the two coffees in her hands over to Aurora, who eagerly takes a sip as they start walking further into the building.

"There is?" Aurora parrots back, lifting an eyebrow at Tia, who can only sense it since she's walking in front

"Yes, and you would know that if you got in early, like i told you to." She rebuttals, waving her index finger on her free hand and clicking it.

"Well come on then, if we've got a new chick, let's not keep them waiting." Aurora flashes a cheeky smile at Tia as she just pips her at the post to the door and swings it open to the full room. Tia rolls her eyes at the youth's antics and follows her in.

The walls are almost as packed as those of the underground train except the atmosphere is bubbling with anticipation at the word of a new girl. She spots Lawrence and Ellie lurking towards the back and makes a beeline for them.

"Alright, girls?" She greets them, slumping down into the pillowy dip of the third chair to the set.

"As good as a can be, babes. What do we think of a new girl then?" Lawrence, ever the gossip, brings the new girl into the conversation almost immediately and Aurora can feel her eyes rolling back into her head.

"If we've any luck she won't be a bit like old Veronica." Ellie chimes in, nodding her head over to the opposite end of the table where Veronica is animatedly talking to Tia.

The last time they'd had someone knew start it had been Veronica. Veronica has never really been a girl Aurora and her girls have gotten along with because despite their best efforts to work well with one another Veronica always finds a way to knit pick until there's nothing left and that in turn sets all three of the others into a rage. So yeah maybe they weren't working as hard as Vonny but that didn't mean they weren't good at what they did, and Aurora stood by that.

Lawrence cracks up beside Ellie, reaching out into thin air for some form of stability, mumbling a tumble of incoherent words other than the affection term of 'hen'. Ellie laughs along beside her and even Aurora can't help but let a grin slip.

The door opens at that exact moment, meaning the girls no longer have to make educated guesses on the new girl because she's stood right before them.

She's absolutely gorgeous for lack of better words. She has great, long, Naomi-Campbell-esque legs, that Aurora is already envious of, and a model-like face. She's got skin that's been oiled slightly so that it shines when it hits the light and striking black hair. This is a time where Aurora is very thankful that Kofi is a queer brand with all LGBT employees.

The woman runs her short-nailed hands down her red and white, sports tracksuit trousers, which Aurora must admit she's pulling off quite well, "Hey, what's up!"

The greeting is so casual that it draws every drip of attention from the people in the room, but the woman doesn't look unnerved or intimidated, like Aurora knows she would, she just smiles at the room and claps her hands together, "I'm Tayce, it's amazing to finally be here!"

The board quickly recover and settle down amongst themselves, whilst Tia chaperones Tayce to a free space beside her and Veronica. They talk quietly together for a second and Tayce throws her head back when she laughs and then they stop.

"Morning everyone, this is Tayce, she's new." The people in the chairs clap and then Tia continues, "Right then, today's agenda."

Veronica hands over a thick-looking file and Aurora can feel herself drowning out Tia's voice and entertaining her mind separately from the meeting before she even realises she's doing it.

She rests her chin in her palm and stares off in front of her, which if it happens to be the direction of Tayce that isn't her fault, and zones out, focusing in on the dents of Tayce's face and the stray hairs that retract from her face.

It's obvious to everyone around her that Aurora is completely out of it, but no one berates her for it. She's charismatic and charming at the best of times, a cheeky chappy if you will, and no one can't stay mad at her long enough to do any damage.

Tayce however doesn't know Aurora and looking over at the end of Tia's lecture to find a woman you just met staring solely at you and nothing else is slightly off putting. She gives Aurora a once over and raises an eyebrow at the young woman.

Aurora's brain snaps out of its reverie and she blushes when she realises what she's been doing. Tayce only smiles with a shake of her head, standing up from the table and carrying her coat out of the room.

Aurora is left staring after her.