#snapshots of the work trip that brings them togethre

[ahtohallan-calling]

chapter 2 of it’s always ourselves we find is here!

[kristanna / m / modern au / coworkers & enemies to lovers ;) ]

“So,” Hans said with a lazy grin, leaning back in his chair and tossing an arm over the shoulders of the woman next to him, “how is it working with Bjorgman, Anna? And don’t hold back. Believe me, I’ve heard it all before.”

She felt rather than saw Kristoff stiffen beside her. That was one of the talents-- or habits, maybe; she wasn’t sure what to call it-- she’d picked up sharing an office with him over the last year; she had developed a sixth sense of sorts about his moods and learned to prepare herself accordingly. 

“We don’t actually work that closely together,” she hedged with a small shrug. “Just share an office space.”

Hans snorted at that. “Please. You’re among friends, Anna. You know what I meant. You can tell the truth.”

Friends, she thought, was a little generous for the head of sales, who she’d only seen in the office and on two resoundingly terrible dates, and his cluster of also-in-sales friends and the woman she presumed was tonight’s unfortunate date.

Then again, Kristoff had been the one to set her up on the dates.

She glanced to the side and saw he had knotted his large hands in his lap, hidden just under the edge of the table. His knuckles were starting to whiten; she wondered if his face, too, was starting to show the strain. He was usually pretty good at keeping a straight face, especially when she was snapping at him, but when something actually started to bother him--

“It’s great,” she said without stopping to consider any further. “He’s very...organized. And diligent. Great work ethic.”

Hans opened his mouth, but she forged ahead anyway. “And there’s not many people like that left these days. So I like working with him. Kind of a lot, in fact.”

This time she actually heard when Kristoff let out a breath next to her, and from the corner of her eye, she saw him turn, just barely, towards her. But she kept her eyes locked on Hans’s, challenging him even as she kept a saccharine smile plastered on her face. 

A smirk passed over his face and settled there. “Lucky you, then. If only he was able to behave himself around the rest of us, maybe there’d be more hope for his future with this company.”

Jesus, maybe she hated Kristoff, but she was seized by a sudden impulse and, without quite meaning to, the moment Hans turned his attention to the waiter, she shot her hand over to his lap to settle over his where they were still twined into a tight knot.

He startled slightly at the unexpected contact, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he turned slowly to her, cocking an eyebrow.

“Fucking rat bastard,” she muttered under her breath; the nickname was one of the few things they could agree on.

A small smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Fucking rat bastard, indeed,” he muttered under his breath. 

#another tiny snapshot again i think thats just how ill do the whole fic #snapshots of the work trip that brings them togethre #iaowf #my fics #kristanna