Music And Silence- A Reylo AU

Chapter 3 - You've Got to be Kidding

Rae woke up to the sound of her cursed alarm telling her it was time to get up. She was bleary-eyed and definitely needed more sleep. Saturday night which had turned into Sunday morning had meant Sunday itself had been more of an evening sitting in comfies, watching TV, eating takeaway pizza feeling exhausted. Everyone except Phoebe, of course, who was annoyingly exuberant.

"Phoebe Jesus, you're making my hangover worse. Please shut up. I'm thrilled he called, I'm thrilled you're seeing him again, and yes we all saw how cute he was but for the love of all things holy, shut up."

It had taken many such rantings to get Phoebe to sit down, eat pizza and watch the film quietly.

"His friend Ben shouldn't have said what he said Rae, can't believe he said that."

Rae had told Phoebe what she'd overheard and regretted it.

"Yes, well no accounting for taste in best friends," Rae had given Phoebe a hard stare hoping it would make her shut up finally, but it hadn't lasted, however, because soon the teasing began about Hux's brooding friend and the staring standoff that had occurred between herself and him. According to the girls, Rae had lost. 

"Uh, I'm having a bath and going to bed," Rae had exclaimed annoyed. "I got Corey's number didn't I, back off."

"That's for Paige's hen party!" Rose had exclaimed.

"Still got it and I'll get there."

"Really? The barman? I mean he's cute, but kind of full of himself and if you bugger it up, it's no more pints of gin."

"Night guys."

Rae had tried to relax in the bath, but she couldn't. Her mind was buzzing with the girls teasing words about Ben and Corey. She growled as she lowered herself under the water allowing it to wash over her head hoping the water would silence the voices in her head; it didn't. Rae got out and then went straight to bed it was a big day tomorrow; her first day at her new place of employment, New Order Advertising.

"Get up Rae," she said as she forced herself upright turning off the hellish noise that was her alarm. She was not a morning person. Stretching with a big yawn, she dragged herself to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later grey jeans, black sweater, simple makeup, DC trainers, biker jacket, gloves, scarf and satchel and she was good to go. It would be cold outside but the tube would be boiling. Lots of thin layers was the way forward. She grabbed her reusable bamboo cup, made a tea in it and grabbing her sketch pad, and pencil case stuffed them into her satchel with her laptop and hauled herself out the door towards the tube. As the door slammed shut behind her, she heard the shouts of 'good luck' from Phoebe and Rose. Headphones in, music on, and cup in hand she marched to the tube.

London was a great place to live if you liked people and she did. She was a social creature. People, more specifically, her friends were everything to her. Rey wasn't bothered by the mass of people crushing her on the tube or racing up and down London underground's many escalators and stairs. She stood on the tube leaning against a rail reading her book; Pride and Prejudice the edges tatty from use. It would be at least forty minutes to Euston Square, she'd save time taking the Northern line all the way and getting off at Warren Street and walking. The office was half way between the two anyway. It was only three more stops to Camden Town and the club they'd been at on Saturday night. She got off at her stop; conveniently close for a Friday night quickie she thought as she headed down the street phone in hand checking she was walking in the right direction.

Like many buildings in London, the office of New Order Advertising was within an old building. The architecture was stunning pale yellow stone, the edges of which had been worn over time and with vast single-paned windows. Gonna be nice and cold in the winter she thought as she headed inside. New Order Advertising didn't own the whole building, just rented a floor, and it was the top one. There was a lift, but Rae was happy to take the stairs. She jogged up the stairs lightly then headed through the double glass doors and stood in front of the reception desk waiting for the redhead with 80's style glasses and long polished nails to finish her phone conversation.