The Only Hope | Captain America

Chapter Ten : Picture Perfect

 First time back at work, Sean wasn't nervous. Usually, he'd be frightened, to walk through the office doors to find out that Grace was running the place. For the first time in years, Sean was excited for work. The smile that was across his face wasn't fake nor was it hiding anything. A real genuine smile welcomed the morning and set the tone for his day. He didn't know why he was so happy this morning. A day ago, his mother had passed away. People expected him to grieving, not to be in the best mood throughout the days. Even Sean was confused with strange behavior; he'd expected himself to be grieving about his dead mother.

 As he walked through the office doors, everyone's eyes were on him. They seemed to be scanning his clean face for tears, puffy red eyes, and dark circles. But there was none of those on his face. Sean looked ready and eager to get back into the field. He scanned the room for Grace, another strange thought for Sean to have. He remembered what she had done for him yesterday night, the comfort she had given him. Another side of Grace he'd never seen, he knew she had a soft side, but he didn't think she would offer the side to him. Behind him, a voice cleared its' throat, startling him as he turned to face the figure.

 He was greeted with a large bear-like hug from his boss. Almost choking Sean at the process. His boss gave him a large grin, letting him know how nice it was to have him back from work. Sean gave a friendly smile before walking off to his desk. He noticed that his laptop had been cleaned; the pens and pencils were stacked neatly in their pencil holders. Next to his laptop, was a cup of Starbucks coffee alongside was a note.

 Welcome Back – Grace

 He held the cup, and let the aroma of the coffee wake up his senses. Many of his friends walked by, each of them was assuring him that Grace didn't take his place at work. Throughout their stories, Sean continued to search the room for Grace. He wanted to thank her for the coffee and hopefully work on the funeral planning. After the stories, he was left alone as he opened up his laptop.

 Sean never attended a funeral before, and wasn't a big fan of graveyards. He thought the place was haunted and filled with scary vibes. Now, he must face his fears as he searched the web for a place to bury his mother. Behind him, he felt someone approach him. He turned his chair around, surprised to see Grace standing in front of him. Her brown hair was tied in a tight bun that complimented her red lips. She gave him a shy smile as she glanced over at his laptop.

 "Starting the funeral hunt?"

 He nodded slowly before clearing his throat, "Yeah, thanks for the coffee by the way."

 "Not a problem."

 None of the funeral homes were satisfying Sean as he scrolled through the various websites. He'd wished he had asked his mother where she wanted to be buried. She didn't really have anything in mind; never spoke on what she wanted. Making the search much harder than it actually was.

 "How about that one?" she asked.

 Sean looked at the screen, snapping out of his thoughts. He followed the link as it guided him to a nice area with many gravestones. The area looked peaceful and nothing like Sean thought a funeral place should look like. Sean wasn't sure of the place yet and wanted to check the area out after work. Looks can be deceiving and he wanted the funeral home for his mother, to be perfect just like her.

 Interrupting his thoughts, Grace slammed the laptop shut as their boss walked by. At first, Sean was confused at her gesture but soon found out that their boss was keeping a close eye on them. He remembered the welcoming hug his boss had given him a few minutes ago. Their boss was suspicious of their behavior just like the rest of the office. Many of them gave the two awkward glances, seeing them sitting side by side and speaking to each other.

 Another new thing.

 "He probably thinks we're looking at some p...--"Sean joked.

 "Shut it Sean. That's gross. Only guys look at that." Grace spat.

 Sean chuckled silently to himself, still humored by his joke. Grace noticed his cheeky smile as she tried to push him off the chair. The two continued to joke around for a few minutes, ignoring their assignments at work. Their boss walked by again, separating the happy two.

 Returning his mind back to the assignment, he grabbed his camera and decided to take a quick snapshot before heading out. He tried to find a subject to focus his camera on, to see if the lenses and everything worked. He directed his camera on Grace as she focused her eyes on the laptop in front of her. Sean couldn't help but analyze the picture. The way her cheeks popped along with her red lips, Sean couldn't help but stand in awe of her beauty. Sure, Sean thought Grace was pretty but he never noticed it. Distracted by his desires to be ahead of her, he never had time to really look at Grace.

 He thought Grace was beautiful girl and couldn't help but look at the picture he took of her. Sean was marveled at her beauty, as his stomach sent an uneasy feeling to his body. From the look of the picture, Grace seemed to be troubled. Her strained expression worried Sean, as he looked at the picture. Something must have been bothering her during the time he took the picture.

 "What are you looking at? Caught any good shots?" Grace asked.

 She startled Sean, as he quickly shut his camera down and turned to her direction. Seeing Grace's face, Sean's mind reverted back to the picture. Of course, Sean didn't want Grace to know about that picture of her.

 I should delete that picture, he thought.

 Sean opened up his camera, blocking the image away from Grace. She didn't seem to notice his awkward position as she continued to gaze out in the city. With a click of his finger, the image was deleted.

 But it wasn't deleted in his mind.   

A/N : Soooo , how are you guys liking this ? What possible feelings for Grace ? But Sean ! Is this the woman Sean wanted him to fall in love with ? Tell me what you guys think (: