Ride or Die | Sam Fender AU

026

"Y/N, are yer still with us?" Jacqueline snipped, startling you as you admired a painting hung on the wall.

"Uh, yes, sorry," you blurted, feeling your cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"I don't think I need to remind you that your shift doesn't finish until seven, no?" she scolded. You shook your head docilely, deliberately avoiding her piercing glare. You did only have a mere few minutes left of your shift but you didn't want to incur the wrath of your petulant boss for the sake of losing that time.

The sound of someone clearing their throat loudly broke Jacqueline's composure, especially when she realised who the voice belonged to. Her eyes widened as she whirled around, straightening up and slathering a perfect customer service smile on her face.

"Mr Fender," she greeted warmly. "Can I help you?"

"No," he replied shortly, taking her by surprise. Your jaw almost dropped in shock, internally praying your boyfriend would not aggravate your boss, who would no doubt take her annoyance out on you.

"O-oh, er, I..." she stumbled as she fought to find her words, overwhelmed by Sam's intimidating nature and his bluntness.

"I'm here to talk to wor lass, so if yer divvn't mind," he snarked. You winced, knowing that you would be called into her office, maybe not that shift but certainly on your next.

"Sam," you squeaked, wanting the floor to swallow you whole.

"Merry Christmas," he told her with a sarcastic smile, curling an arm around your waist and dragging you away shamelessly.

"What are you doing?" you fretted, daring to peek back at your boss to assess the damage. Surprisingly, she didn't look angry but that was only because she was still processing what happened as evident from the shock on her face. "I'm already in her bad books."

"Why're yer in her bad books?" he snorted.

"She changed the rota so I was in on Saturday but didn't tell me, so I didn't show up, obviously, but she called me screaming and basically threatened to fire me if I didn't come in," you rambled.

"Are yer for real?" he scoffed, his face contorting into a scowl as he turned back, ready to give Jacqueline a stark warning but you quickly clung onto his arm to stop him.

"You can't!" you exclaimed quietly. "Sam, don't do anything stupid, please. I need this job."

"No, yer don't," he told you.

"We've had this conversation already, come on," you pleaded.

"Yer divvn't need to put up with this shit, little lamb," he growled, tearing away from your side and running a hand over his mouth. "All yer need to do is say the word and yer won't have to worry about money ever again."

"I can't just rely on you for the rest of my life, Sam," you frowned. "Look, can we have this conversation when I finish? I really don't need Jacqueline to pull me in for a disciplinary just before Christmas."

"Would ya look at that? It's seven, just gone actually, so you're technically doing overtime," he announced as he held up his watch, studying it purposefully. "Let's go." You stared at him in conflict. Part of you was irritated by his blasé opinion towards your job but deep down, you knew he had good intentions. It was because he cared for you deeply but it didn't mean his attitude wasn't going to get you into trouble with your boss. "Little lamb?"

"I'll grab my stuff," you murmured, turning away from him in favour of the small staff room to grab your belongings. You jumped as you slipped inside, startled by your co-worker, Fleur, who was on her tea break. "God, you scared me."