Chapter Text
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The first time they were at the rooftop together was on her third week working for the company, when Autumn had arrived with its earthy scent and chilling wind. Unlike most days, Darcy was (finally) having a break on a decent hour. She had already finished her first bagel (she got one more left) and a cup of coffee, the remnants of both were tucked neatly nearby her feet. She still got more than thirty minutes before her break ended. If she calculated correctly she even had time for a quick stop by the restroom to brush her teeth and fix her lipstick.
This high-rise building she was on truly held a magnificent sight. From her vantage, she could almost see every landmark in the east side of the city including the Raven Park that was now had already changed its color, shifting from green to brilliant hues of auburn.
All kinds of noises faded from this height, that was another reason why she's here, away from the nagging of her boss (the source of her stress) and also away from everyone else downstairs. Especially during one of her low days when she got screamed at and treated like a worthless piece of shit for merely existing. The only pride she had was that at least her backbone is tougher than most of her predecessors, with no record of shedding a single tear no matter how horrifying her boss' tantrum was.
As a human with emotions though, it certainly still bothered her. That was why she really wasn’t feeling like mingling at the cafeteria or any other places where she might have to meet and greet other people, participating in their chit-chat that revolved around their family, their kids, their healthy dietary and their pilates class. Yep, here was definitely better, here she didn't have to put a big smile on her face when she felt like stabbing someone with her non-GMO salad spork. That was why even though there was no chair, no greenery, no nothing on this vast yet empty rooftop, the place was perfect.
The blew of the wind felt as liberating as when the warmth of the sun kissed her skin. She could finally breathe again, though as a collateral, her throat was now a bit sore from the excessive shouting she did not a moment ago, when she screamed her lungs off, shouting every cuss word she knew (aimed those to no other than the mighty Loki Odinson) towards nothing in particular.
It was kind of childish, but dammit, it felt good. Besides it wasn’t like anyone could hear her from across the building.
“Finished Lewis?” a sultry, familiar voice asked from out of the blue, startling her.
Darcy's blood ran cold, her heart took a free dive down to her toes, “Fuck!” Horrified, Darcy covered her mouth with the palm of her hand as her feet turned. With her luck, she didn’t actually have to turn to be able to guess to whom was that voice belonged to.
"How screwed am I?" she blurted the question, peeking between the fingers that were now covering her entire face. God, if only she could disappear right at this very second!
"Define screwed?" he pursed his lips, feigning a stern look with both hands crossed behind his back.
"As in, getting fired and forced to pay the penalty for breaching my stupid contract, also, getting a lawsuit for calling my soon to be ex-boss the biggest motherfucking cuntbag that ever existed - screwed?" she replied in one breath, but then her eyes widened in horror as she whined, "crap, I didn't mean to repeat that last bit!"
Her honest reaction made him laughed, and in response, shocked the heck out of her. Loki Odinson never laugh, that was a fact. Even among his associates she never once saw him laugh the way he did now. It was ... surprisingly melodic and pleasing and infectious. If only she didn't recall how her mouth had gotten her into another trouble she would definitely be laughing along with him.
The corner of his forest green eyes were crinkling, lighting up his whole face and Darcy ruefully noticed that the warmth she now felt burning on her cheeks was no longer caused by getting caught.
He really should do it more often.
Or not.
“It’s alright," he started, the laughter gone, "My doctor said that what you did just then,” Loki pointed at her, his brow arched and his expression was still somewhat amused, “is good for you.”
Was he teasing me? "Great! I'll pass the message on to the board."
"What are you doing here?" He inquired while his P.A. was still busy cursing at herself.
Aloofly, Darcy cleared her throat, she tried to at least keep her expression in check. She had no other option when there was no dirt on this concrete for her to dig and bury her head into. “It’s lunchtime, you said I’m free to do whatever I want,” she replied defensively.
“Why aren’t you with everybody else?” he dully asked, hands folded in front of his chest. Even half the day in and his suit was still as impeccable as when she saw him early in the morning, as if he was untouchable even by the forces of nature.
“I like it here,” she waved her hand about. Still wishing she had taken her lunch elsewhere because this thing could take a whole different turn if his mood was as sour as when she left his office, “it's the prettiest spot in this building.”
“I think so too,” he said, his eyes were fixed on the horizon as he walked past her, stepping closer to the edge of the building.
As every other women (and without a doubt lots of men) would too, her eyes were inevitably drawn to his presence. She stood two feet behind him, far enough to feel secure, but close enough to be able to catch the usual subtle scent of cardamom and vetiver exuding from his skin (she once read the tag printed on his perfume bottle).
She was stuck on her spot, unsure whether she should stay or go. So she stood still, watching how the daylight illuminate his towering form, casting dancing shadows over the concrete.
Objectively speaking, her boss was truly something else. Like a man coming straight out of those cheap smutty romance novels she kept above her toilet cabinet (only way scarier). His look surpassed those men she saw in the magazines. But, that was if, and only if one was able to overlook his insane temper. He was charming in his own dark, problematic way. His gorgeous face was unparalleled, even more so up-close. And his voice? When he wasn't spitting fire - his voice was, to be completely shamelessly honest, what wet dreams were made of.
Not that she harboured a crush or anything, she wasn't that crazy. That was merely another fact based on her daily observation as his P.A.. A fact that she still tried to overlook. She thought by now she should've been immune by his striking features (that knew no boundaries they should be fucking illegal). Perhaps she needed to try a bit harder.
"It's a great place to clear your head," he said as he sauntered forward.
"Sir!" Darcy called out, almost panically, as she hurriedly chased his steps, closing their gap when she saw him stepping dangerously closer on to the brim of the ledge.
There was no fence bordering the perimeter, what was he thinking?! She gripped tighter.
He turned his neck sideways, nonchalant, "What?"
Her fingers were still clutching the tail of his charcoal suit jacket as she said, "It's much safer to clear our head from here," she motioned to where she stood. She could only swallow her nerves when she noticed he was deliberately ignoring her suggestion and without a blink she added, "and I'd really hate to hunt for another job in difficult times like this."
That rich chuckle surged from his lips and to her relieve, he took a step back towards the ground, standing beside her until their vision aligned. Loki dug one hand into his pants' pocket and said buoyantly, "And here I thought someone would finally be upset to see me go."
With a smirk on her face Darcy could only shrugged.
"Don't start looking for a new job just yet. I, at least, have to live through another summer," he replied with a straight face, as if he meant what he just said.
"Why? Is that your sixtieth birthday sir?" she asked in good humour.
Loki gave her a slow loop-sided smirk as he raised one hand and pointed to their right, “Because during the summers, you can perfectly watch the sun setting from that spot, right between those two skyscrapers."
"Really?" Her eyes followed to where he was pointing at.
He nodded, "It's the most beautiful thing. As if someone had painted the city in gold."
The unexpected exchange hung between them, blown by the windy afternoon, but Darcy could almost imagine the gilded glow he described from the way his eyes spoke. However, she was uncertain on how to respond to this kind of conversation with the most unlikely man. It felt too personal, was she breaching the boundaries by being here with him? “Do you want me to stay off the roof sir?” she asked cautiously.
He didn’t turn his head, nor did he reply straightaway. It was as if he didn’t hear her. She even thought he wouldn’t answer at all, but then his broad shoulders relaxed and eventually he spoke, softly, almost gently, “I think this roof is big enough for the two of us. Besides, you should see the view for yourself or else you might think I was lying."
That was probably the longest, weirdest twenty-five minutes of her life. So weird that she even offered him her last bagel (because food sharing always make things better). Shockingly, he accepted the offer without a sneer. Loki’s gaze lingered on her outstretched hand for a few seconds before he took the thing and ate it without a word as she watched in utter confusion.
In the end, he left before she did. When his hand was about to reach the door handle, he paused and called out to her, "Miss Lewis?"
"Yes sir?" Darcy asked, she was half way leaning down to fetch her stuff from the ground, to make sure she didn't soil the place.
"You did a good job this morning," he said before stepping away.
She was rendered speechless as her lips stretched into a full-blown grin (and a fit of giggle after he closed the door). That was the first time he ever came close to praise her.
Perhaps today wasn't so bad after all.
The next day and the days after that though, Darcy cleared away from the rooftop. She didn’t want to see him more than she had to, she didn’t want to see his river-green eyes looking all lonely that they sometimes kept her wondering at night. Or how his windswept hair invited her to run her fingers on it. She didn't want to hear about the sunset, or about how no one would be upset if he was not around. She’d rather be around the usual ruthless, heartless businessman that everyone feared, not him as a human being that once upon a time had shared a lunch with her. Hence she often spent her lunch elsewhere, somewhere closer to the ground, along with the other employees.
Eventually though, the need to witness that amazing view once more got the best of her. When Monday came, she decided to stop by the rooftop again.
Loki was not there. However, to her surprise, the place was no longer as empty as it was before. There was a white wooden chair and a matching table, both placed exactly where they stood on that quiet afternoon.
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