theft of fire; a marjoreece fanfic

distraction (2)

why am i so easy to forget like that? - supermodel, sza

She sat in the room, face dark and her eyes icy cold. She sat next to Reece, stealing cautious glances every now and then to watch his movements.

He was doing the same, his eyes trailing her hair, her face, her figure. It clawed at him inside that he'd messed this up so bad. He noticed the way her blue eyes shone as she looked around the room, the way her makeup was slightly shaky, and the fact that there were barely visible tear stains down her face.

He was besotted with his sister's best friend.

He groaned slightly, shifting in his seat and rubbing the bridge of his nose to another 'ping' on his phone. Snatching his phone before Marjorie could see the notification. He sets it on silent and plants it down again with a heavy sigh.

She glances up to him, her eyes full of sympathy before she quickly glances away just as the runner of the event walks in. Immediately taking their place at the front of the room, they launch into what 'trust' really means.

Reece rests on his arm, his other arm wrapped around the base. He breathes out loudly, rolling his eyes. Bullshit.

In the back of both of their minds, something deeper lurks, but they're channelling their energy towards listening.

They continue, "And now, the aim of today is to really get you in tune, and about what it is to be a manager, and how much this is important to your managing roles!" They glance between the participants, eyes landing on Marjorie and Reece. There's clearly something between them, based on the stolen, quick glances, just avoiding each other's gaze by milliseconds at best.

Marjorie grabs another glance at Reece, her eyes glassy before she quickly turns her gaze away, staring at the table. Clearly, she's thinking too loudly, as Reece looks at her, looking her up and down gently.

The teacher's voice fades back in, "...And to really connect you as managers to be able to work better together..." it fades back out. Reece glances away, Marjorie now averting her eyes to the teacher.

"Now, for this first trust exercise," Her voice is oddly smooth, like honey dripping onto chocolate, "I would like you to stand in front of your partner, fall backwards, and let them catch you within their arms." Nevermind. It was evil, sharp like a bee's sting, malice written all over her face. Surely she knew.

Marjorie's posture straightens, gripping the arms of her chair, and Reece's arms fall, crossing in front of his chest. "What?" They screech, jaws dropping.

Still adamant on the exercise, she continues, "It's a great ice breaker to start things off! And the contact gets rid of any awkwardness." She nods, trying to get her point across as if this was a tried and true method. Marjorie leans back in her chair, as if to prove she wasn't going to stand, "Yeah, no. No, we don't- No," her voice coated thickly with disgust.

Reece quickly joins in, "No. No, not at all, we're not doing that." He adds, glancing at the woman sat next to him. He winced slightly at her instinctive reaction. He'd messed up that bad.

"Oh. Okay, well then, pick up your pens and start doing the first question on the worksheets together... and then run through the others?" She questions, yet it's more like a statement because she walks away before either of them have a chance to argue.

Marjorie sighs, rolling her eyes and extends her arm to grab a pen. Unknowingly, Reece does the same, forcing their arms to clash, Marjorie grabbing his hand. She instantly pulls her arm towards her body, cringing at what she just did. "Ah- Sorry, I.. I didn't mean to grab your hand. I- ... ugh." She gives up, folding her arms. Reece looks away, anywhere but Marjorie in hopes she won't see the blush creeping up his neck. He flexes out his hand, nose scrunching slightly.