Chapter Text
“Please, guys, we know this is a lot to ask, but I don’t think I can emphasize just how much this could do for our careers.” Raven Reyes looks pleadingly between her friends Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake as they sit across from her, and she knows that her business partner, John Murphy, seated on her right, is probably crossing his fingers as well.
Bellamy shakes his head in disbelief. “When you two offered to take Clarke and I out to dinner, this is not exactly what we were expecting.” They’re all in a booth at one of their favorite local restaurants, and it had been a relaxed round of catching up on the latest news between the four friends until Murphy had explained the predicament that he and Raven were facing.
“Look,” Murphy announced, “I’m aware it’s a shit thing to ask, but Raven and I are stuck. You guys know we’ve thrown everything into our company these last few years, including all our time. It’s starting to pay off, but neither one of us has had time to date and it’d be a lot better to bring people who really do know us so there’s no chance of fucking this up.”
Right after college graduation, Raven and Murphy had combined their skills to open an engineering and design firm together, Dropship Designs. Raven used her talents to create improved and futuristic versions of existing aeronautical design, often developing completely new concepts, and Murphy took care of the business end of advertising and selling her ideas to interested companies. They had started making a masterplan for Dropship back in their junior year in college, so although the company was relatively new, they had both been devoted to making it a reality for years, and had worked ceaselessly to bring it to fruition.
“When Dropship won that American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics award a few months ago because of Raven’s hard work, it really put us on the map in a whole new way.” Murphy turned and grinned in appreciation at his partner before continuing. “And now we’re on everyone’s radar. If we can go and do this, we’ll be meeting execs from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon - all of ‘em! This kind of schmoozing opportunity is just priceless.”
“Hey! Don’t sell yourself short, Murphy. When you landed us that piece in the July issue of Aerospace, that industry magazine article started the buzz. Our phones have been busy ever since.” Raven knew that she was a pro at what she did - she’d been winning awards and scholarships since elementary school science fairs, but having Murphy as co-owner of Dropship allowed her to spend all her time doing what she did best - design on her own or with her team. He handled almost all other aspects of their company and the way he could read people and figure out how to get them to buy whatever he wanted to sell them was incredible. Raven was positive he could manage to sell ice to people living on a glacier, but too often he undervalued what he did for their company.
A brief but pleased look flits over his face at Raven’s comments before he smirks at Clarke and Bellamy, sitting back into his chair and folding his arms over his chest. “What she means is that Dropship Designs is hot right now. Everybody wants us, and if you two are willing to do us this tiny little favor, think of how grateful we’d be.”
“Tiny favor!” Bellamy snorts. “It doesn’t sound like a damn tiny favor to me! I mean, you want us to pretend…”
“Alright, hold on,” Clarke interrupts, gently laying a hand on Bellamy’s arm before he gets riled up any further. “Raven, why don’t you run this by me one more time, please, so I’m sure I’m understanding exactly what it is we’d have to do.”
“Okay.” Raven nods. “Basically, this is the deal - one of the VIPs at NASA is known for inviting various executives from some of the bigger aeronautical companies up to his fancy ass mansion, which is of course at a ski resort to make it even more posh. He also invites some smaller company execs from various design firms - mostly up and comers, like us. It’s never more than ten to fifteen couples, from what we hear. We got an invitation to go for the first time, as co-owners of Dropship. So it really is an unbelievable chance for us. But there’s a catch - it’s for couples only. The NASA guy’s wife apparently loves to throw parties and show off her house, so everyone gets invited to stay there for a few days - for free, by the way - but you’re supposed to be part of a couple in order to go. Supposedly that makes it less business-like or some crap.”
“Well, why can’t the two of you just pretend to be a couple and go?” Bellamy demands.
Murphy tilts his head and shrugs. “I said the same thing, and that’s what we figured we’d do. But then Raven talked to a contact she has about it and it doesn’t sound like a good idea.”
“Yeah, I reached out to a few other designers I know who graduated before me, trying to get some more information. Apparently a couple years ago, an owner took one of his female employees along to play as a couple and somehow it got found out that they weren’t dating and were just there to make deals and business contacts. The NASA executive and his wife were offended over being lied to, and that company has kind of been skipped over a lot ever since. It’s not going to be in our best interest to say that Murphy and I are together just for this trip, and then risk getting found out later as not being involved at all or no longer a couple. They know we’re business partners already - we want to keep it simple and just bring a girlfriend and boyfriend outside of the industry. Then when the inevitable ‘break-ups’ happen, it’s less suspicious.”
Leaning forward, Murphy’s voice takes on a wheedling tone. “And that’s why we want you two. Who else knows us better? Bell, you and I have known each other since high school, and Clarke and Raven met in college because of that douchebag they were both dating. And once you hooked up with Clarke, then we all met. We’ve got tons of shared history, we know each other’s family situations, and a few moments of holding hands, looking at each other dramatically and putting on a little show isn’t going to kill us.”
Clarke laughs. “Wow, Murphy, you make it sound so enjoyable!”
Their waitress comes over with all of their entrees, and the group is silent for a few moments as they all settle in with their dinners. Bellamy looks at his two friends across the table thoughtfully. “Alright. For the sake of argument, what exactly do you think ‘putting on a show’ is going to include?”
An excited gleam in her eyes, Raven quickly answers him. “Okay, well, keep in mind a key thing to remember is that we’d be staying in this huge, over the top mansion, with all the other couples. So we’d have to attend dinner parties, dress up probably, maybe dance, I don’t know. There’d be lots of stiff politeness, small talk, drinks - all that awful and boring crap I know we all hate. We’d probably have to hold hands sometimes, like Murphy said, but also maybe a few brief kisses? Arms around each other’s waists? General looking like a couple stuff - holding doors open, pulling out chairs, carrying luggage, laughing if the other one makes a joke... Oh, and we’d have to share a bedroom during the trip, but it’s only like five days. My contact told me that during the day, there might be a few events for just the industry people, which would let you guys off the hook, but other than that, everyone is free to ski or snowboard and explore the nearby resort or whatever.”
Exchanging a glance with Bellamy, it’s Clarke who answers. “How about we finish our dinners while Bellamy and I think it over, okay? And then once we finish, you guys go over to the bar and give us a little time to talk about it together.”
Raven lifts an eyebrow in Murphy’s direction, and he nods in response to the unspoken question in her eyes. He knows she’s telling him not to push and to let Bell and Clarke handle this the way they feel comfortable. And he definitely doesn’t want to spook them, considering their help really would provide such a huge boost to Dropship Design.
“Yeah, however you two want to handle it is fine by us,” he agrees, and Raven’s admiring smile makes him glad he’s putting in the effort to be patient about this when in all honesty, if it was up to him he’d probably just start pestering Bellamy about all the past favors he can call in so that he gets his way.
“Do you think they’re going to agree to this?” Raven asks him, as he pulls out a stool at the bar for her, making it easier for her to climb onto it with the brace on her leg.
Murphy takes a quick look over his shoulder, back towards the booth they shared with Bellamy and Clarke. Their dinners finished, they left the two of them alone to discuss the situation. The bartender comes over and asks for their order, and Murphy orders a whiskey on the rocks for himself and a glass of Pinot Noir for Raven, since that’s what she always gets when they’re out for dinner together. Unless it’s a business dinner, then she abstains or has a Chardonnay.
“They’re gonna do it.”
“What makes you so sure?” Raven picks up her wine and takes a sip when the bartender sets it in front of her, her eyes closing in delight at the taste.
“Trust me,” he grins, and Raven rolls her eyes, elbowing him in the side.
“C’mon, Murphy. Talk me down because I’m nervous! This could be our chance to get Dropship financially solvent for years to come, and then we can afford to hire more employees and take on more projects. I have so many ideas we could implement! But it could also mean I might have to kiss Bellamy and piss off Clarke, neither of which I want to do… Is it bad that I really don’t want us to miss out on this, though, even if we do have to pretend to be couples? I couldn’t blame them if they say no.”
He puts his drink down on the bar and turns his body further towards her, reaching out to squeeze her palm where it rests on her knee, a familiar reassuring expression on his face. “We’re not going to miss this chance,” he promises her. “I’m not gonna let anything mess this up for us. We’ve been working too hard and as soon as those execs get in the same room as you to hear about your passion for future design, we’ll have contracts pouring in. They’re going to say yes, but even if they don’t, I don’t want you to worry about it. I’ll find a way to make it happen.”
Raven’s concern starts to fade as she listens to Murphy’s words. After the last two years of working on their business plan, pooling their money, taking out loans and starting their company together, he’s so good at making her feel confident and she knows she can count on him. She turns her palm over on her knee and links her fingers through his, giving him a squeeze in return. “Sometimes I still can’t believe I hated you when Clarke first introduced us. You were such a dick back then.”
“I still am, it’s just that you’ve gotten used to me,” he insists. She smiles indulgently at his assertion, but she knows the truth. After she got past the rough edges, Murphy is one of the best people she knows, and she’s grateful to have him in her life.
“I know we’re going to do this, but I don’t want to do this.” Bellamy groans, looking at Clarke with dismay.
“Bell, this could be what I’ve been waiting for! I swear, those two are perfect for each other and you know it! But for the last two years and then some, they’ve spent all their time together planning for their company and now running it and trying to make it successful. My god, they practically live at Dropship anymore. Murphy even ordered a pullout couch for his office and sleeps there half the time!” Clarke grabs his hand and shakes it excitedly, her tone beseeching. “They haven’t had any chance to be jealous of anyone coming between them other than a few half-hearted dating attempts in college, so they’re both content with how things are now. But just imagine if we could raise the stakes a little - wouldn’t it be perfect if at least one of them started to realize how they really feel?”
“Clarke, babe… I don’t want you to get your hopes up over this. I know you think they’re right for each other, and maybe they are, I don’t know. You gotta let them figure it out though.”
“I know, I know. You’re right, but I can’t help it. I just want them to be happy like we are.”
Bellamy smiles and leans over for a kiss. “That’s my girl, always looking out. Alright, I don’t like the idea of you pretending to date Murphy, but even I can’t deny that this is an incredible chance for them and they deserve it after all the effort they’ve been putting in. I’m willing to do this, but I’ve got a couple of conditions they’re gonna have to agree to, or the deal is off.”
After hearing what Bellamy wants, Clarke laughs with approval. “It might require some juggling so we don’t get caught, but you, Bellamy Blake, are a devious man and I love you for it! If this vacation doesn’t push them together, I don’t know what will!”
The new year comes before they know it, and the first Friday in February finds them awake incredibly early and loading up Clarke’s older model Jeep Cherokee for the long drive to Maine. Due to the anticipated dressier dinners, there are a few garment bags hanging up behind Bellamy, who decides to take the first driving shift. Clarke grabs the passenger side, eliciting good-natured protests from Murphy when he gets relegated to the back behind Clarke. He’s got it better than Raven though, who’s smushed into the middle of the back seat with the garment bags on one side and Murphy on the other.
“Clarke, I get that your Jeep was the best choice for this drive since we’re headed up to the mountains and snow, and I’m grateful you’re letting us all take it, but just so you know - I can feel every single bump in the road from this position,” Raven teases.
“Hey, don’t listen to her, my darling Jeep,” Clarke pats the dashboard. “We’ve been through a lot together, me and this vehicle. She’s never been to Maine before though.” Clarke looks over her shoulder at Raven and grins, because Raven actually is right about the shocks back there. It’s not the most comfortable seat in the car, that’s for sure. “Maybe you can drive next, Raven, and we’ll make Bellamy and Murphy crowd together.”
“Oh hell no, there’s no way we’d both fit.” Murphy has his left arm along the back of the seat behind Raven, trying to give her more room, but there’s not a lot of space even so, and his legs are definitely unable to stretch out. “I’ll take a shift driving when you’re ready for a break, Bell, and then the rest of you can fight it out over who gets crammed back here.”
“I dunno, Murphy. Maybe I’ll just drive the entire way and leave you stuck back there.” Bellamy discreetly winks at Clarke, knowing she’ll like his effort to keep Raven and Murphy in close proximity for as long as he can. He sees a little upwards twitch of her lips and figures she’s on to his game.
Murphy nudges Raven with his knee. “I told you we should fly.”
“Maybe it would have been easier to fly,” Clarke concedes, “but this reminds me of our college road trips, and it’s been too long since we’ve had one. Anyway, once you two get all this new business - thanks to me and Bell acting as your devoted arm candy - you’ll be too busy for us to do this for a while. So everybody suck up the togetherness and enjoy it while it lasts! And like all of our road trips that started too early in the morning, I am now going to take advantage of not driving and try to catch up on some sleep so I’m not a complete grump later. And that goes for you, too, Raven, since we all know you get the crankiest when you’re tired.” Clarke pushes her travel pillow up alongside the window and leans against it, shutting her eyes and fully intending to get in at least a short nap.
“I would take offense at that if we all didn’t already know it’s true,” Raven mumbles, angling her hips closer to Murphy so as not to wrinkle the dresses hanging inside the garment bags.
About two hours pass before Clarke wakes up and stretches her neck, looking over at Bellamy in the driver’s seat. He must notice her movement because he glances over with an affectionate smile.
“Get a good rest, Princess?”
“Mmmm, as good as it gets in the car, anyway. You still doing okay driving?”
“Yep, no problems here. Although I’ve been a little lonely - check out the back.”
Clarke scrunches her nose in confusion, but as soon as she looks behind her, she understands what Bellamy means. Raven and Murphy are also both asleep, curled up so adorably that Clarke immediately pulls out her phone to take a picture to taunt them with later. Raven’s leaned over on Murphy as close as her seat belt will allow, her head tucked on his shoulder and her arm wrapped around his middle. His arm is around her, his head resting against hers. “Ohh, you know what? I’m gonna blow up this picture for their wedding and brag that it was you and me that finally got them together.”
“Clarke…” Bellamy gives her a warning glare and then concentrates on the road again.
“I know, I know… but you know I’m right. Listen, you and I got together and since then we’ve merged our friend groups and what has happened during that time? Monty and Harper got together. Jasper and Maya got together. We introduced Murphy and Raven first but they’re both so damned stubborn and slow and they just don’t see how much they rely on each other. I have a good feeling about the next couple of days. This is going to work, I’m sure of it.”
Bellamy shakes his head fondly. There’s no talking Clarke down when she has her mind set on something. Maybe he owes Murphy a warning about her intentions, but Clarke's meddling is going to be interesting to watch because Raven & Murphy are bound to react to it. Either way, he has absolutely no desire to stop Clarke’s fun - or his own - so he’s going to shut his mouth and go along, and he really can’t bring himself to feel that badly about it.
They stop about an hour away from their destination to get some food since they’re all starving, and as soon as Raven gets out of the car, she moans in approval at the feeling of stretching her legs. “Oh, that is soooo much better.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna walk around for a bit before we sit down. I’ll see you guys inside.” Murphy strides off into the parking lot, and Raven’s half tempted to join him, knowing it’ll help her leg. But she’s also in need of the bathroom, so she goes inside with Clarke and Bellamy, and once she leaves her coat at the table they were shown to, she excuses herself and walks in the direction of the restrooms.
She’s at the sink, finger combing her hair, when she feels her phone vibrate in her back pocket. There’s no one else around, so she takes a look at the message. It’s a picture of her and Murphy, sleeping in the backseat of the Jeep, and Clarke sent it to both of them with the comment Aww, look how cozy. When she’d woken up from her nap, she’d known she’d been leaning against him, but it hadn’t felt like that big of a deal when she’d just removed her arm from around his waist and lifted her head, his own arm coming off her shoulder and back onto the rear seat behind her like he’d just been waiting for her to wake so he could move it.
Now though… Looking at the way she was cuddled against Murphy and the relaxed expression on both of their faces gives her a funny twinge in her stomach that she isn’t sure how to interpret. She quickly types out her own response, wanting to keep it as light as possible, simply sending a Thanks for the pillow, Murphy. She’s staring at the picture, trying to decipher her feelings, when his reply comes. All he says is any time, and before she thinks too hard about it, she touches the heart at the top of the photo, making it a favorite and then clears the screen. Uncertainty has never sat well with her, so she puts the image of the two of them out of her mind and goes back out to join the others.
The four of them are finishing their late lunch when Murphy pulls a slip of paper from his pocket and hands it to Bellamy. “There’s three excuses on here I want you to memorize. If you use them up, I’ll give you more. If we’re going to abide by your two demands, we’ve got to be careful to at least have a plausible excuse if we do get caught being in the wrong room.”
Bellamy looks over the list with a slight grin. “You don’t think I can come up with my own excuse on the spur of the moment?”
“Let’s just say I don’t want to take any chances,” Murphy retorted. “You said your two non-negotiables were that you wanted to sleep in the same room as Clarke and that no fake kisses could include tongue - and believe me, I don’t think anyone was planning to do that, anyway.” Murphy pauses and looks at Bellamy with disapproval, but Bellamy only laughs. “When we get there, Raven and Clarke can figure out whichever rooms we’re getting and we’ll just put our suitcases where we’re gonna be - but only the girls can ever answer the door if someone knocks so we can keep things straight. And if Bell and I are in the wrong rooms at the time, as is likely, we go into the bathroom and turn on the shower and stay there until the person at the door goes away, got it? And if we do get caught in the wrong room or heading to the wrong room, you use one of the excuses on that list, alright? I’ve already got my own list memorized.”
Clarke leans over and looks at the paper in Bellamy’s grasp. “Really, Murphy? This is a pretty deep level of planning, even for you. I think we can probably handle it in the moment.”
“No, no offense to both of you,” Raven interjects, looking between Bellamy and Clarke, “but I think Murphy’s right about this. I trust you guys, of course I do, but I don’t want to risk becoming ostracized by some big names in our industry, and it sounds like this NASA guy could do it if he was feeling vengeful because he thought we offended his hospitality or something. You two get to share a room each night and on the days when Murphy and I are stuck doing events with just the business group, you can go where you want with the Jeep and we can easily pass it off as the four of us being friends for so long, so that’s why you’re hanging out when we’re not available. But when other people are around, you have to look like only friends with each other and devoted to the two of us instead.”
With a dramatic gesture, Bellamy lays his arm across the table to take Raven’s hand, his voice taking on a deliberate syrupy-sweet tone. “Oh, sweetheart, I am that devoted to you.”
Raven rolls her eyes. “Yeah, you’re really selling it, Bell. Totally believable. Maybe it would be best if you and Clarke were both the lovestruck but silent types.”
Clarke starts to laugh at Raven’s deadpan advice. “You might not be that wrong, Raven. I’ll just look at Murphy and bat my eyelashes a lot while I send him longing looks and put my arm around him. That should do it, right?”
Murphy shakes his head. “Suddenly I’m feeling a lot less confident in the acting skills of our little quartet,” he grumbles. “Let’s get back on the road. From what we hear from Raven’s contacts, the first night is supposed to be a small welcome reception for just the industry reps, which means the two of you get to kick back and relax, but Raven and I have to get settled in, dressed up and be ready to kiss ass. The more time I have to mentally prepare for potential disaster, the better, so hurry up. Bellamy, you want a break driving or what?”
“I know how much you’re enjoying that backseat, Murphy, so I can’t let you give that up for me. Besides, if I keep driving, I get to control the radio, and you three have terrible taste in music.”
“Hey!” Clarke and Raven both object at the same time while Murphy only shrugs, entirely unoffended, but Bellamy just grins and shakes the car keys.
Not quite two hours later, Murphy finishes hanging up some of his shirts in the closet of the room that Raven chose for them. They had been met at the door of the insanely huge residence by a group of staff who had unloaded their luggage and then parked the Jeep in the garage, while the four of them had been handed schedules of the next few days and given a brief tour followed by being shown to the wing of the house with the guest rooms. Murphy scoffed to himself - as if they could be called ‘rooms’ when they were much more like a hotel suite. Each room had names on the door that corresponded to ski runs on the nearby mountain, and Clarke and Raven had excitedly discussed the two rooms they’d been offered. Clarke wanted Spruce Peak because it had a fireplace, and Raven had been satisfied with that since she’d preferred the room labeled White Cap with its larger bathtub along with the walk-in shower. Murphy didn’t care at all, although he’d had a moment of pause when he’d entered and the single queen-sized bed had caught his attention. Obviously he had known he and Raven would be sharing as soon as Bellamy and Clarke made it clear that being in separate rooms was a deal-breaker for them, but it felt more real now that they were in the room itself.
Raven’s making herself at home on the bed, reviewing the schedule they’ve been given. “It looks like they’re serving a ‘light dinner’ via room delivery around five o’clock - my god, this house has room service - and after that, we basically just have to get ready for the reception at eight. And my friend was right - the reception is only for us, not significant others. There’s a few events on here like some dinners and cocktail events where it will be all of the guests, but there’s also plenty of events where it’s only going to be the executives and business insiders like us.” She looks up and watches Murphy refold his pants and put them in a drawer. “That’s kind of a relief.”
He glances over his shoulder at her and raises his eyebrow. “I’m surprised to hear you say that. You normally hate the business events where we have to make nice.”
“True, but I don’t have to fake anything with you - we’re just us. I mean, plastering on the big smiles and feigned interest isn’t my favorite, but there won’t be that additional stress of acting like I’m in love with Bellamy or trying not to laugh at his attempts to pretend he’s in love with me.”
Grinning, Murphy opens the closet door wider to see there’s a folding ironing board inset into the wall, and he immediately opens it up and grabs the combination iron and steamer inside, skimming the instructions on the label. “Bellamy’ll be the one who struggles the most with this, I have no doubt. He sucks at lying. I’m kinda bummed I don’t get to just sit back and watch this unfold, ‘cause you know it’s going to be weird. And speaking of folding, I’m going to steam a couple of my shirts and pants that got more wrinkled than I’d like. You want me to do anything of yours while I’m at it?”
“Wow, this hotel already has great service and it’s only our first day. I’m gonna leave a fantastic review,” she teases.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t forget the tip, that’s what really matters. Get out what you want me to steam if you’re ever going to unpack. You can have the shower first, and if we’re supposed to do dinner in our rooms tonight, I don’t want dibs on the bathroom until after we eat. Do you want to call next door and see what they might be planning? Oh, and remind them that it has to be Clarke who answers the knock when they bring the room service dinner!”
“On it.” Raven picks up the phone and dials their room, learning that their two friends are looking to enjoy a quiet night in with their fancy bathroom and fireplace. Raven chats for a few minutes and passes on Murphy’s instructions, also telling Clarke she doesn’t expect to be finished the reception until eleven or later, and that she and Murphy will see them in the morning for breakfast. When she’s finished, she hangs up and follows Murphy’s movements as he steams a navy blue collared shirt. “They’re staying in, so I think we can mark our arrival day as safe. Let’s hope the walls are thick around here, though, ‘cause you know what they’re going to be doing. Maybe they’ll tire themselves out by the time we get back here tonight.”
“Cross your fingers,” Murphy drawls, and Raven heaves herself off the cushy bed with a sigh, ready to finish her unpacking before she has to start getting ready for the reception.
Not long after her amazing shower with all the modern water spray nozzles, she’s sitting in front of the window with Murphy, after he hid in the bathroom while their dinner was spread out on the table for them by one of the members of the staff who brought it to their door. Raven’s wrapped in one of the plush robes that were provided in the bathroom, and although she joked with Murphy before about this being a hotel, it really does feel like one since the place is so enormous and offers so many amenities. She pushes her wet hair back behind her ear and takes another bite of the rosemary chicken on her plate. “These people clearly have to have more money than just from NASA, right? I mean, they can’t possibly pay well enough for a place like this, can they?”
Murphy finishes chewing and nods. “It’s not really his money, although I’m sure he contributes. He married some high society heiress years ago, and from what I read up on, she dabbles in philanthropy and the opera and this house - if you can really call it that - has been featured in a few magazine spreads too.”
“Oh, man. I’m not going to have anything in common with her and will have no idea what to say when I meet her later tonight.”
“Just compliment something specific about this room and say how much you’re looking forward to your visit and you’ll be fine. Besides, we got them especially nice host and hostess gifts, so even if you mess it up, we’ll still make a very good impression.” Murphy gives her a satisfied grin that she almost misses due to the quick flash of panic running through her.
“A gift? We were supposed to bring something? Why didn’t you tell me, I didn’t even think about that, and oh my god of course we should thank them for inviting us and why didn’t I think about that?” Her eyes have widened in dismay and Murphy can’t resist a laugh at her expense.
“Relax, Raven. I took care of it already. This is the stuff on my list, not yours. They’re going to like what I brought, I have no doubt about that. But about the reception tonight, I’m hoping we can try to stick together as much as we can. I want to mostly try and fly under the radar and let you take the lead in the conversations if we can steer it that way.”
Raven scrunches her nose in irritation. “That is the opposite of what I was hoping you’d say. Not the sticking together part, but the part where you want me to do the talking.”
“You know, for someone who professes not to want to talk to other people, you sure talk to me a helluva lot,” Murphy points out. “Everyone tonight is looking to talk with you, anyway. You’re a hot new designer with an eye towards innovation and they know it. I want to hear what they talk to you about, so I wanna stick together and play a little quiet - as soon as they ask you a question or make a comment on one of your projects, I’ll know exactly how to tailor a pitch to them.”
Sipping from her water glass, Raven leans forward, interested in Murphy’s tactics. “How will you know?”
He shrugs and waves his palm dismissively. “It’s easy. Like I already know that Boeing recently took a new contract for five more of their latest model airliners, right? They aren’t going to be looking for any new designs for a while, but they will be interested in how they can make the third, fourth and fifth builds more streamlined and with better efficiency than what build one and two will have. They’ll want to keep improving each new plane but aren’t looking to reinvent it. So they’ll be more inclined to bite if we bait the hook with comments about the stabilizers you’re working on. That’s smaller stuff, yeah, but of course we still want that kind of contract. But tonight, if someone starts to ask you about your latest project or they bring up questions for where you see future design going, then we’ll know that they’re shopping for the kind of project we really want a piece of, and we should target them with a higher priority for the rest of our time here.”
“See, this right here is exactly why I get annoyed with you all the time, Murphy! You’re always downplaying your contributions to Dropship compared to mine, but there’s no way I could do what you do. This is the stuff that you’re good at, and we’d never have gotten this far without your skills.” Raven stretches her arm across the table and grasps his wrist to emphasize her point. “I wish I could make you understand how much of a relief it is for me to let you handle these kinds of things so I can just focus on design and dreaming up new ideas. I wouldn’t be a partner in my own company if we hadn’t done this together - I’d be working for one of the big names, they’d own everything I ever come up with and I wouldn’t have the level of freedom with concepts that I do on my own.” Murphy looks almost embarrassed at her praise, but she’s not finished. “Anyway, maybe I haven’t said it, but there’s nobody else I’d rather be doing this with. And even though we’ve basically sold our lives away in order to get Dropship off the ground, and neither of us has been on an actual date in way too long, it’s not really that bad of a trade-off no matter how much I bitch about it.”
“I’m tempted to make a joke here about who you are and what you’ve done with my real partner,” Murphy grins, and Raven rolls her eyes and tries to shove his arm out of her way, but Murphy is too fast for her and quickly links her fingers with his. “But even I’m not that much of an ass… well, maybe I am, but still. I can recognize sincerity when I hear it. We make a good team, and I don’t want to be doing this with anybody else either.” He looks for a moment like he might say something more, but when he doesn’t, the air around them is still and silent with the heavy words between them. Their eyes are locked on each other, and Raven feels her breath stutter in her chest at the connection that’s risen between them. Murphy’s thumb rubs along the back of her hand, and the image of the two of them curled together in Clarke’s backseat flickers through her memory at the same time his touch leaves behind a prickling under her skin.
She pulls her hand back into her lap and blinks her eyes a few times in rapid succession to clear her fuzzy mind. His own arm reacts more slowly as it retreats, though his eyes are still on hers. An uncertain smile crosses her face. “I should start getting dressed if we don’t want to be late. Let me get the blow dryer out of the bathroom and then you can have your shower.”
He just nods and starts to put their dishes back onto the tray it was delivered on. When he gathers his own clothes and takes them into the bathroom, she drops heavily onto the bed and wonders what the hell that was.
The welcome reception is in full swing, and for the most part Raven believes it’s going well so far. It’s a lot of older men, as per usual, who are representing most of the companies, but there’s a better mix of women than what she normally sees, so she’ll count the guest list as a positive for her hosts. Although as far as she’s concerned, that may be the only pro in the hostess column for Mrs. Elaine Foster, the wife of the NASA executive, Michael Foster. She and Murphy had met the couple almost as soon as they’d arrived in the large lounge, and at first Raven had been nervous, wanting to make a good impression. But that was until Mrs. Foster had eyed Murphy up and down and trailed her fingers along his arm as he’d shaken her hand, and Raven had instantly hated her. They’d made small talk for a few minutes, and she had remembered her manners and made polite conversation, including some genuine compliments on the house and her room, but it was difficult to keep the indignant look off her face when Mrs. Foster kept making a point to reach out and touch Murphy at every opportunity.
Thankfully, they hadn’t spent too much time with the Fosters since the couple was determined to mingle with all of their guests, but Raven occasionally darted her eyes around the room and wasn’t surprised to see Mrs. Foster casually glancing in Murphy’s direction more times than not. She tried to stick to Murphy’s plan and take the lead in the conversations with most of the other visitors, but her uneasy response to the conspicuous flirting remained in the back of her mind all evening. For his part, Murphy seemed unaware, and other than being quieter than his usual behavior, she thought he was going to be pleased with the way all of their interactions were going with the various executives from industry giants. Based on his feedback earlier, Raven made attempts to steer the discussions one way or another, and he was right that they’d often ask her about specific projects depending on their own interests. Murphy was bound to have a mental list of which companies had jumped to the top of his priority list after this, she was sure.
If she didn’t count Elaine Foster, Raven couldn’t remember ever before enjoying herself more at a work function. At past events, she and Murphy would split up, taking a divide and conquer plan of action in order to meet with the most people and promote Dropship Designs. As a company just starting out, they both stretched themselves thin in order to cultivate business and prospective clients. And she never really talked about it with him because it was just so prevalent in the field, but Raven was frequently condescended to all those times she’d had to socialize on her own, because that’s just how so many of the older men in aeronautics behaved around women who had dared to excel in the subject, and Raven had experienced it for years. But with Murphy by her side, the attitudes suddenly changed, and while it was incredibly frustrating, it was also a welcome respite. Not to mention he’d been grabbing her a glass of Chardonnay whenever hers had been low, so that didn’t hurt.
By the time the reception wound down and they said their goodnights - capped off by yet another vampish display from Mrs. Foster - Raven was feeling deliciously buzzed during the walk back to their room. At one point, Murphy had lightly grasped her elbow and guided her over to one of the many small seating nooks tucked around the massive property.
“All the other guests are walking back down that hallway now. Let’s let ‘em pass so no one sees that we’re going into the same room,” he leans in to tell her, his voice low. “If anyone asks, we’re discussing how the reception went.”
“I’m glad one of us is capable of thinking ahead right now. That last glass of wine pushed me past my normal limit, I think.” Raven sinks back into the comfortable leather chair, fingers gliding back and forth along the smooth armrest.
“Considering we probably drank some of the most expensive alcohol we’ve ever had, maybe it makes you feel it quicker. I could get used to this level of pretentious comfort, though. My drinks were strong all night, and it was nice not to have to make the same old small talk and let you discuss things you’re actually interested in.” That was probably his favorite thing about the evening, he thinks, just watching her excitedly talk about concepts and theories with people who both understood and appreciated her imagery and the way her imagination fueled so many of her ideas. Too often he was stuck in sales pitches and mental calculations during his own business conversations, but tonight he was able to dial that back somewhat and let her take the lead. By doing so, he was reminded once again just how brilliant she was, and it only served to reinforce his determination to make this long weekend a success.
“Yeah, for once it was enjoyable. No constant interrupting, mansplaining and patronizing bullshit like I normally get. Who knew all I’d have to do to get most of the sexism to stop would be to have another man tag along with me?”
Murphy cocks his head at her, his brows furrowing in concern. He’s not stupid, he knows she’s a woman in a very male-dominated field, but it gnaws at him to know how she’s been treated. “I hate that it’s like that for you. You’re so much smarter than they are, but I know they don’t wanna see that. You know if there’s someone that you don’t want to work with, we’re not so desperate for business that we have to take their project, right? I mean, the goal is to get to the point in the near future where maybe we can cut back on these schmoozing events and just let your ideas speak for themselves. And we’re so close to that point, I think. Then you won’t have to put up with so much of that shit.”
“I know, and I appreciate it. After all these years, I’m so used to it that it feels strange not to deal with it, which was why tonight was fun. Besides, not that I’m excusing it or anything, but I’d honestly rather deal with the arrogant jerks rather than the ones that just hit on me like I’m only there as some kind of prop. Maybe this is a better crowd, I don’t know, but I didn’t get any of that foolishness tonight either, and it’s all probably because once we introduced ourselves as business partners, they were afraid to act like idiots and embarrass themselves in front of you.”
A flicker of anger washes over his face, knowing that she’s probably right, and he almost wishes one of the men they’d dealt with tonight had so much as tried to step out of line, just so he could have had the satisfaction of shutting that crap down. Before he can say anything, though, Raven gazes at him with an inscrutable look in her eye.
“I guess tonight was about the shoe being on the other foot for a change,” she contends, and now he’s even more bewildered. His face must show his confusion, because she laughs. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about. The social butterfly we were introduced to known as Mrs. Elaine Foster was flirting with you like crazy, and right under her husband’s nose, too.”
Murphy’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Really?”
“Seriously, Murphy,” Raven asks incredulously. “I don’t know how you could have missed it.” She looks up at him from under her lashes and in a deliberate move, she leans forward and lets her fingers touch his bare wrist and then dance up his arm to rest near his elbow, her other hand on his knee and her voice breathier than usual when she addresses him. “It’s so nice to meet you, John. I can call you John, can’t I?”
Maybe he didn’t see the way their hostess was acting with him, but he’s not missing Raven’s imitation of it, and he clears his throat, his own voice a little tight when he answers her. “I didn’t pick up on that.”
Her eyebrow raises delicately at his admission, but she doesn’t move away from him. “She was touching you at every opportunity, and you didn’t pick up on that? I know you’re not that oblivious, Murphy.”
She’s right, he’s not normally ignorant about these things, and he’s definitely noticing the hell out of her hands, which are still resting along his knee and elbow. “I guess I had other things on my mind, not that I’d be interested anyway.” Since he’s watching her carefully, he sees something change in her eyes then, but she’s always been a puzzle to him and now is no different. They stare at each other and time seems to stretch as he wonders about things he has no business wondering about, but then her fingers slip away, taking her warmth with them. His gaze roams over her as she stands, and the knot in his stomach loosens when she offers him a small smile in the darkened alcove.
“I bet the others are in their rooms at this point. Let’s get some sleep.” Raven turns and walks down the deserted hallway towards their door, and as he begins to follow, he can’t help but think that somewhere between the backseat of Clarke’s Jeep and that last unfathomable look in her eye, he’s a lot less certain of his interactions with Raven than he was yesterday.
It’s close to two in the morning and Murphy’s counting down to when the alarm will go off, figuring that if he could just fall asleep right now, he’d get a whole five hours of rest before having to climb out of bed. But his brain won’t shut down and he’s been laying on the comfortable mattress in frustration, his thoughts racing through his mind in an unending cycle.
They’d made it into their room without anyone taking any notice of them, and Raven had immediately kicked off her shoes and pawed through her drawers for pajamas. She’d asked for the bathroom first, and when she’d come out, her face was scrubbed clean from the makeup she’d worn to the reception, her clothes folded over her arm and wearing an oversized t-shirt emblazoned with a rocket and the words “Ask Me About Rocket Science” on it. He’d laughed and she’d blushed faintly and told him it was a gift from Sinclair, a favorite professor of hers who had evolved into a friend and mentor. When he had emerged from the bathroom himself, she had been sitting on the bed, her brace on the floor while she brushed her hair, and she’d asked him if he’d had a preference on which side he slept on. He’d shrugged and taken the side she wasn’t on, the one closer to the door, and flipped back the covers, setting his phone alarm before lying back to stare up at the ceiling, feeling a vague sense of restlessness.
Of course it wasn’t the first time that they had slept in the same place - starting a company together had set them on a course for late nights many times over, and they even had toothbrushes at each other’s apartments for that exact reason. Falling asleep on the couch while reviewing a sales pitch or having a working dinner together and then agreeing to stay over when the time got away from them was different, though. Sleeping in the same bed was new. He had never spent so much of his time with anyone before Raven came along, and yesterday he would have said that they knew each other incredibly well. But when he had listened to her climb under the covers beside him in the shadows of an unfamiliar bedroom earlier, he felt completely out of his element and almost as if she was a stranger, and it had made him nervous.
He rolls to his side in the darkened room, facing Raven curled up on the pillow beside him. Unlike him, she had seemed to have no trouble falling asleep, turning off her lamp with a brief ‘goodnight’. He wants to resent that a little, but mostly he’s glad at least one of them is getting some rest. He’d had fun with her tonight, and not just at the reception, either. It had felt like they were getting away with something when he’d darted into the bathroom when the dinner delivery had come, and they’d laughed about it as they started in on the delicious food. She’d sat across from him wearing that soft looking robe, her hair wet and the scent of her soap thick in the air, and it occurred to him that the level of comfort they had with each other was unlike any other relationship he’d ever had with a woman before.
She hadn’t liked him when they first met, that wasn’t a secret. He’d hung out with Clarke and Bell a few times after Bellamy had started dating her, and one night Raven had come with Clarke to dinner, and that had been the beginning of it. They laugh about it now, but he could admit that he’d been too cocky, definitely more of a jerk back then. She hadn’t taken any of his crap though, and even before they’d found a tentative truce between them and had become friends, he had respected the hell out of her. He’d thought about her as something more, every little while, because certainly he had eyes in his head, but they’d danced around it and flirted a bit and then it seemed that the moment had passed, because then they were the kind of friends where he would have missed her too much if they'd have fucked it up. They’d each dated other students here and there during college, and yeah, there had been some jealousy on his part. But he’d always thought that it was because when she was seeing someone else, she hadn’t come around as often, hadn’t been as available, and he’d missed hanging out with her. But then eventually none of it had mattered because they’d started to seriously consider starting a company together, and after that… neither of them had any free time anymore. They were together or with Clarke and Bellamy and their other friends, and he’d liked it that way. Raven would complain sometimes, that she never had time to date or meet anyone, and often he’d just placate her and agree at the unfairness of it… but he didn’t actually feel that way.
Looking at her across the small space between them, her face relaxed in sleep and her hair tumbled around the pillow, he thinks maybe he’s been a fucking idiot. They’d been busy, and they’d built something incredible with their company, sure, but he’d had her to himself all this time and he hadn’t even understood that he didn’t miss dating because he got to spend all his time with Raven, and even if everything was just platonic, he’d made it into enough. He’d somehow succeeded in making his relationship with her the most important one in his life, but in the process he’d convinced himself that all he’d felt for her was friendship and now it’s suddenly sinking in that he’s been deluding himself, probably for years. He should have known something was seriously going on when he’d felt that tightening in his chest as he’d stared at the photo of the two of them wrapped together in Clarke’s backseat earlier in the day, but he’d convinced himself that it was some kind of strange hunger pang, because yeah, fucking delusional idiot is right. The realization that he might actually be in love with Raven feels like a stab to the gut with a knife of truth, and he has no idea what should come next.
Falling asleep is not going to be in the cards tonight, he thinks with a muffled groan, but that’s what I get for being a fucking idiot .
Clarke finishes putting her lipstick on the next evening before dinner and walks out of the bathroom to see Bellamy sitting on the edge of the bed, putting on his shoes. “Are you ready for our first event in the spotlight?,” she teases him.
He looks up and smiles. “I think I can manage, but I might need help walking to and from the dining room after all that exercise on the slopes today.” Clarke laughs and rubs his shoulders, and he relaxes under her touch.
“It was great though. It’s been too long since the four of us got to have some fun together outside of just a random night once a month. I’ve missed Raven and Murphy, even though I know they have good reason not to be around. Did they seem a little… tense... to you, though?”
Bellamy shrugs under her hands. “Murphy said he hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, although they both thought that the opening reception went well. He wasn’t that talkative, now that you mention it, but they’re probably just nervous about wanting to make good impressions while they’re here.”
“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know, though… Raven seemed a little off when she and I went shopping and for the pedicures while you and Murphy were snowboarding. And they didn’t really talk that much to each other at lunch either.” They’d woken up that morning and all gone down to breakfast in what was called the ‘small dining room’, putting their fake relationships on display for the first time, but not many of the other guests were in attendance since it had been relatively early. Afterwards they’d taken the Jeep to the nearby ski resort, and Bellamy and Murphy had gone off together for some snowboarding, but with Raven’s injured leg, she’d never enjoyed the slopes quite as much as the rest of them had, so Clarke had joined her for some shopping and bonding, and then the four of them had met back up again for a late lunch before eventually coming back to the mansion to get cleaned up for the first big dinner with all the other guests. Tomorrow, Raven and Murphy had some scheduled daytime events with the other rocket science people, as Murphy sometimes referred to them as, and Clarke planned to get some snowboarding in with Bellamy then.
She stands up and watches as Bellamy puts on his suit jacket and adjusts his tie in the mirror, smoothing the fabric of her own dress to make sure it’s not wrinkled. “Anyway, whatever it was, you and I both look like great trophy partners, and I’m sure we’ll do them proud. Remember, we want it to look real, but we also want to make them jealous, so hold her hand, touch her arm or her back, put your arm around her and generally pretend the sun shines out of her eyeballs, especially if Murphy is watching.”
“Okay, first of all - I don’t think that’s how that saying goes,” he laughs, “and secondly, Clarke Griffin, you are a strange woman, encouraging me to flirt on purpose with your best friend.”
Leaning in on her toes, she gently kisses his upturned mouth. “I know that you’re doing this mostly for me, since I really think they’d be perfect together. But don’t think I don’t know that there’s a part of you that’s secretly doing this for Murphy, too, because you’re just as interested in playing matchmaker as I am! So let’s go out there and lie and manipulate them into admitting their feelings so we can all be happy, okay?”
He grins at their reflection in the mirror. “Whatever you say, Princess.” He gestures for her to go ahead of him and they make a point of looking out into the hallway before they discreetly exit their room and walk next door to meet their friends.
Murphy’s not sure what clued him in, but even before they walk into the lounge before the formal dinner, he knows tonight isn’t going to be nearly as enjoyable as last night. Maybe it was his own anxiousness about ensuring that the four of them looked like the couples they were supposed to be. It could have been that he hadn’t rested well the night before and was still reeling from the conclusions he’d come to about his relationship with Raven. Or maybe it was when he saw Bellamy reach over and link his hand with Raven’s, producing a wave of resentment that rolled through him at the sight. Whichever it was, the feeling had only gotten worse when they introduced Clarke and Bellamy to Mr. and Mrs. Foster, and all the flirting he’d been unaware of last night was suddenly visible with a vengeance.
Elaine Foster had practically manhandled him while her inattentive husband’s gaze was elsewhere, and he’d almost struggled to inconspicuously step back from her grasping hands. He could feel Raven’s eyes watching the entire mess unfold, and it didn’t get any better when she had introduced Bellamy, because Mrs. Foster had begun eagerly pawing him during their handshake as well. Clarke was staring in horrified fascination at the whole trainwreck, but things really went off the rails when their hostess nudged Raven knowingly and told her she was a ‘lucky girl’ to have both a good-looking romantic partner and business partner, and insinuated slyly that Raven was having sex with both of them. Raven’s eyes had narrowed dangerously, she’d pulled up her shoulders to make herself a little taller and had taken a half-step forward, and Murphy had known if he didn’t get her out of there immediately, their entire plan to promote Dropship would go up in smoke. Justifiably, yes, but still, not the outcome they were hoping for.
His hand had gone instinctively to Raven’s back to lead her away, but the dress Raven was wearing tonight had a deep V cut out of the backside, and his fingers grazed her warm brown skin instead of fabric. He just manages to pull her from the confrontation, leaving Clarke and Bellamy to make whatever excuses and follow them, but his palm tingles from the physical contact and he feels heat rush through him as the anger sparks in her dark eyes. He spins her subtly around so she no longer faces the Fosters, and they stand off to the edge of the room where he’s directed her, his fingers still low on her back, rubbing small circles to steady her.
“Raven. Take a deep breath, remember we’re here for Dropship, and that woman does not matter in the slightest.”
“I hate that bitch,” Raven hisses at him, her voice lowered and a flush across her cheekbones. “I know she thinks I’m sleeping around, because how else could I have gotten where I am, right? Women like that are worse than the men.”
Clarke and Bellamy join them in time to hear Raven’s comments, and it doesn’t escape Clarke’s notice how close they’re standing to each other or how Murphy’s hand is moving protectively along Raven’s back and her fingers are wrapped tight around his wrist as she tries to calm down.
“Bell, Murphy… why don’t you two go get us all some drinks while Raven and I talk for a moment.” Clarke’s words aren’t exactly a question, and Bellamy looks at Murphy expectantly.
Murphy reluctantly moves away from Raven, and her fingers slide down his wrist as he removes his comforting touch from her back and the two men walk towards the bar. Raven watches him go before turning to look at Clarke with frustration. “I know. I shouldn’t lose my temper like that, especially here. She’s just so awful, Clarke! She was so blatant last night too, her hands all over Murphy! What she said to me was just the last straw.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Clarke reassures her, placing her palm on Raven’s arm with a gentle squeeze. “It wasn’t that obvious outside the four of us, and Murphy got you away before you did any real damage. Bellamy managed to say something polite before we excused ourselves too, not that any of it was our fault. We’ll just calm down about it and hope that none of us are seated near her during dinner, and maybe we can come up with a few ways to avoid her for the rest of this trip. She’s absolutely awful, you’re right, and if I hadn’t been so surprised while it was happening, I’d have joined you to gang up on her.”
Raven looks at Clarke gratefully. “Thank goodness Murphy acted fast. I was honestly ready to punch her, which would have ruined not just our prospects here, but could have gotten me in a lot of trouble if she had chosen to press charges. I’m upset with myself for letting her get to me like that, but mostly… I still want to punch her.” There’s a rueful smile on Raven’s face, and Clarke makes a mental note to remind Bellamy to keep Raven away from the brazen hostess at all costs.
The two continue discussing how to deal with future interactions with Mrs. Foster, and Bellamy returns with a glass of rosé for Clarke, a glass of Pinot Noir for Raven, and a tumbler half-full of dark liquid for himself, which Raven assumes could just be straight soda to make it look like he’s drinking. She takes her wine glass with an ache of disappointment, because although it’s her favorite, she never has red wine at a business function - it not only gets her tipsier and could stain her teeth, but she’s always been petrified she’ll spill it and embarrass herself. And with the mood she’s in now, that possibility has never been higher. She looks around for Murphy, since he knows all of this, and wonders why he let Bellamy order this particular drink while they’re here.
Bellamy observes Raven searching the room, and leans in to explain. “Murphy got waylaid on the way to the bar. I told him I’d grab drinks for you ladies since the guy who grabbed him wanted to discuss some business. I think they’re going to show us to our seats at the table soon - I overheard someone say they’ll be more mingling after dinner.”
“Great,” Raven’s sarcasm gets the best of her. “More mingling. Just what I wanted.”
Clarke pats her arm again in commiseration, but Bellamy was right. A chime rings out to announce that dinner will be served soon, and everyone starts to pair off and head towards the dining room to be seated. Clarke spots Murphy speaking to the bartender and goes over to him, while Bellamy winks at Raven and in a whisper, asks if she’s ready for the show as his arm wraps around her waist to pull her closer.
They’re taken to their seats by one of the staff and Raven sighs in relief when she’s nowhere near Mrs. Foster, instead closest to the end of the table where Mr. Foster is holding court. Bellamy is seated across from her, but Clarke and Murphy aren’t nearby, with Raven between the wife of one of the executives of Lockheed Martin on one side and a representative from United Technologies who keeps trying to look down her dress on the other. She grits her teeth, determined to do a better job of holding on to her temper, and she’s just looking longingly at her glass of red wine when a waiter unobtrusively slides in beside her to remove it, replacing it with a glass of white wine instead. She looks up in surprise, but the waiter is already walking away. Her gaze wanders down the table to Murphy, but he’s absorbed in conversation with the woman to his left, who Raven recognizes as here on behalf of General Dynamics. Murphy is probably thrilled to be seated next to her since GDC does a lot of contractual work for the military. A fond smile crosses her lips as she watches him from her peripheral vision, nodding absentmindedly as the woman next to her enthusiastically talks about her grandkids.
She doesn’t get to watch Murphy work as much as she’d like. He’s the only other person on the planet who’s as dedicated to Dropship Designs as she is, and as weird as it might be, the company is almost like her baby - well, their baby, she supposes. It’s…satisfying...to know that Murphy is willing to do whatever it takes to make it successful, even saving it from her if need be. She’d lost her temper tonight and instead of being angry with her behavior, he’d extricated her from the situation, rubbed her back soothingly to calm her down and then most likely fixed her drink order just to make her more comfortable. It occurs to her that she probably doesn’t deserve him, because he’s always doing kind things like that for her and she thinks maybe she just takes it for granted. The smile drifts off her face as she considers how much she’s come to rely on Murphy, and it’s only when she feels a sharp kick to her ankle that she looks up in surprise and stops her thoughts in their tracks, focusing on Bellamy across from her with a slightly disgruntled look on her face.
He’s giving her a tight smile and gestures with his eyebrows at the man next to him. “Honey, I think you got distracted, but Mr. Richards here was just asking whether you thought there was any legitimacy to aircraft design being affected by environmental concerns, and if so, whether you had any insight on how that’s going to play out.”
Raven pastes the artificial smile she employs for exactly these kinds of tactics onto her face. Just what she needs tonight - a corporate espionage attempt under the guise of faux interest. The guy probably thinks she’s going to give away hints about her designs, the dumbass. One thing was for sure, the times she had gotten to watch Murphy work in the past had taught her a few more tactics to outplay the mark. She picks up her glass of wine for a grateful sip, sends another thought of thanks up for Murphy, and then proceeds to bullshit her way out of the trap that’s been set for her in a way that would make him proud.
She eventually reaches the end of the interminable dinner, going through three glasses of Chardonnay in the process, but it’s a small price to pay to have kept her tongue firmly bitten instead of unleashed on the people around her. The grandmother to the right of her had actually turned out to be rather sweet, but the peeping tom next to her and the damn spy next to Bellamy had been more than enough for her already frayed nerves. She’d glanced down the table a few times to see how Clarke and Murphy were faring, and from what she could tell, it seemed as though they were having an easier time of it, for which she was glad.
Bellamy had waited for her at the end of the table, putting his arm around her again as they walked back into the lounge off the main dining room, and she had to give him credit - he was doing a pretty good job at being her attentive significant other. It wasn’t his fault that she couldn’t look at him with stars in her eyes, but she made the attempt to bat her eyelashes a few times, just in case anyone was watching. They barely made it into the lounge before the sweet grandma dragged over her very knowledgeable husband from Lockheed Martin to talk more with Raven, and Bellamy played the devoted boyfriend once again, happily looking at grandkid photos while Raven made some serious inroads with a major player in aeronautics.
When the conversation had finally reached its conclusion, business cards exchanged and a promise to be in touch, Bellamy once again steers her with a hand along her back, this time towards the bar. They refresh their drinks, and Raven was right that Bellamy isn’t drinking alcohol at all. She teases him a little, and he laughs and explains.
“Well one, I didn’t want to accidentally slip up and ruin our ‘date’. And two, Clarke and I are going snowboarding tomorrow, and after the tough workout that Murphy put me through today, the last thing I need is to be even more off my game. So no, no drinking for me tonight.”
“You’re so responsible, Bellamy. I could probably take a few lessons from you, honestly. I’m still kicking myself for losing my temper earlier. I can’t believe I jeopardized our reputation just because some awful socialite got under my skin.” Raven shakes her head in dismay over her almost-actions.
“I don’t think you were out of line, Raven. Sure, you could have handled it better, but she was really insulting you and there’s no way she didn’t know it. As crazy as it is to say, Murphy kept his head about him and no harm ended up being done by your temper. And when I think about Murphy being the rational one here, I gotta say that I would never have pictured it when we were back in high school together. He was always the one losing his temper. You guys make a good team though, and you have each other’s backs. That’s important.” Bellamy moves away from the bar, surprising her by taking her hand in his, and Raven considers his words as they sit down on one of the long and low couches that are scattered throughout the lounge. She and Murphy are a good team, and she tilts her head for a better view of the room as she looks for him. He and Clarke are talking with another couple, and Murphy’s arm is draped around Clarke’s shoulder. Clarke’s taking her part seriously too, it seems, as she’s laughing up at him with an adoring gaze, and it’s in that exact moment, when she feels a surge of irrational anger at her best friend, who she knows is in a damned committed relationship, that she finally comprehends that her emotions when it comes to Murphy are far, far more complicated than she’s allowed herself to believe.
Murphy and Raven are more than happy to accept Clarke’s suggestion that the two women go to the ladies room instead of saying goodnight to their hosts, leaving that chore to Murphy and Bellamy instead. None of them actually want to do it, but everyone agrees that keeping Raven and Mrs. Foster apart is the main goal, although it goes unsaid between both men that they don’t need to share the touchy-feely details of the encounter with them afterwards either.
The end of the evening comes earlier than the night before, and Murphy again suggests they all dawdle before making their way back to the guest room hallway. Tonight the four of them decide to go to the indoor movie theater to kill some time, and when they arrive, they have the room to themselves. Clarke makes immediate eye contact with Bellamy, and gestures with her head to try and communicate to him what she wants. She smiles when he seems to understand her instructions, each of them maneuvering so that in the row of cushy seats, Raven and Murphy end up sitting next to each other, with both Clarke and Bellamy on the outside of the pair.
Bellamy fiddles with the remote, and they agree on the latest episode of a tv comedy none of them have seen yet, not wanting to stay up too late since Clarke and Bellamy are getting up early for snowboarding, and Murphy and Raven will have a lunch presentation to attend with the other industry insiders.
There’s an armrest between their seats to separate them, but Murphy is sensitive to how close Raven’s body is to his, their shoulders brushing and his knee bumped against hers. He wishes that his sudden revelations about her had taken place at home, where he could dissect them and take them apart with some privacy instead of having her so physically within reach. His entire world feels upended, and while part of him wants nothing more than to turn to her and confess his feelings, another part of him is fully aware of how much there is to lose if she doesn’t reciprocate. Everything they’ve built hinges on the fact that they’re doing it together, and as much as it would gut him to lose the company that they’ve worked so tirelessly for, much worse would be to lose her. It’s almost laughable, how he let it go so long without even being aware of it, because now that he knows, now that he’s acknowledged how far gone he is over her, it seems so glaringly evident. He glances over at Bellamy, contemplating whether to pull him aside and demand to know why Bellamy hadn’t told him what’s been going on all this time, because damn it, his best friend should have seen it and filled him in.
He sighs, maybe a little louder than he intended, because Raven turns to look at him in concern, her head slightly cocked and an unspoken question in her eyes. Murphy does his best to look reassuring, like he’s not tied up in knots on the inside, but he can tell she doesn’t buy it when she jabs him in the side with her elbow and continues to regard him impatiently, never having been one to give up. Yeah, there’s no denying she’s his kind of girl. He manages a real grin this time, and when the concern on her face fades into a small smile of her own, he thinks maybe he’s worrying more than he should. Their friendship is strong enough to survive an awkward one-sided declaration of love, right? The question sticks in his brain like a song on repeat, and as the tv credits roll and Bellamy shuts everything off, he walks through the hallways trying to come up with the answer.