I woke up with a big headache and an even bigger sense of shame. I hardly wanted to get out of my bed, let alone go to a rally where I had to stare at the man I had been in a very uncomfortable position with the day before. From what I remembered, he had practically carried me home after I had had one too many drinks.
I was incredibly annoyed at myself for drinking so much in front of my boss, and having the audacity to allow him into my hotel room. The last thing I remember was sitting down on my bed, I couldn't even recall him leaving the room.
I sighed, trying to clear my mind and just think of the day ahead of me. I had a long day ahead of me. Sarah thought it would be a good idea to bring Jon along while we went knocking on doors around the suburbs, it would make a good impression on voters if they knew he cared enough to see them in person. After that, we had a rally, then we would return to the hotel and probably do more work.
The bus was leaving to drop us off at 9:30. It was currently 8:30, I had more than enough time to get ready and eat breakfast. And I wasn't about to be late a second time. I got dressed in a campaign tee and shorts, attempted to conceal the bags under my eyes with some makeup, spritzed a bit of perfume on myself and headed downstairs to the hotel breakfast area. I made myself a waffle and grabbed two breakfast sausages. I sat with James and Amelia at a table in the corner of the room. I checked the room for any sign of Jon, who luckily was sitting with Sarah, deep into some paperwork. I knew Sarah wouldn't let him join us, so I was safe for now.
"How much did you drink after we left, Joey?" James asked before I could even begin eating.
"A little more," I said, understating it.
"How did you get back to the hotel?" Amelia asked.
"I just walked back with Jon. Are you guys excited for the rally today?" I tried changing the subject.
"Wait, what do you mean you walked back with him. Could you even walk?" James questioned.
"Yes, I could walk," I lied, hoping neither of them would notice.
"I doubt that," Amelia responded. "You were pretty drunk when we left."
"I was fine!"
"Did Jon see you super drunk?" James laughed.
"No!"
"Did he have to help you home?"
"No!" I cried out, drawing the attention of the other people in the dining room, including Jon and Sarah. They quickly returned to their normal conversations though, except for Jon, who I could feel staring holes into the side of my head. I looked over again, but his gaze was then on Sarah.
"Be careful! If you get fired I won't know what to do with myself," Amelia grabbed my hand across the table. James nodded.
"I'm not going to get fired, guys. I'm fine. Can I eat in peace now?" I looked at my friends expectantly. They both shrugged, and returned to their food.
I didn't sit next to Jon on the bus this time, instead taking a seat next to James at the table. I read my book silently, while Jon ran his canvassing speech with Amelia. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy when he complimented her edits. That was my job. But I pushed those feelings aside and remembered what I was here for: to work.
We arrived at our first neighborhood, the bus parking in a local elementary school parking lot. We arrived at the first house in a group, Amelia and James standing between Jon and I. Jon rang the doorbell himself, and was answered a couple moments later.
"Hello?" A middle aged woman answered the door, putting her phone in her pocket. It took her a moment before she recognized the man standing in front of her.
![Marco x reader x tom [ me or him?] von _CookiePanda_](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/46829819-80-k74932.jpg)
"Jon Ossoff!" She scoffed in surprise. "What are you doing at my house?"
"Good Morning! I'm just here to ask you a few questions about who and what you're voting for, and I'll explain a bit of my platform to you. What's your name?" Jon held out his hand.
"Susan," She took his hand, shaking it firmly. Jon confirmed that she was voting for him, and answered any questions she had.
"So... Was that good?" Jon asked me as we headed down the stairs. I nodded awkwardly, before increasing my pace to catch up with Amelia and James.
"You were great, Jon!" Amelia grinned at him. Jon nodded a thank you. We stopped at a street corner to regroup.
"Alright, we're going to split up. Josephine, come with me to the west side of the neighborhood, Amelia and James take the east side." Jon explained. Amelia and James nodded. I nodded along halfheartedly, incredibly annoyed at Jon. He was a smart man, he knew exactly what he was doing. Jon made sure Amelia and James had the addresses they needed on their clipboards, before waving me along to join him. I put on a fake smile, mostly for Amelia and James to see, then walked beside him in the opposite direction.
I made sure we were out of Amelia and James' earshot before speaking.
"What are you doing?" I asked quietly. Jon looked at me as if he didn't have a clue.
"Canvassing?" He smirked at me. I wanted to rip his face off.
"Are we just not going to talk about what happened yesterday? I was actually going to apologize, but you're acting dumb," I kicked a loose pebble on the street.
"Did you just call me dumb?" Jon asked.
"Did you grab me in the elevator yesterday?" I countered. He stopped, his face falling.
"Joey, I don't know what that was, ok? But I just want to say that-" I cut him off.
"Don't say anything. All of yesterday, including the end of it was incredibly inappropriate and unprofessional. I want to acknowledge it once, apologize for my drunkenness, and never speak of yesterday again." I took a deep breath. He seemed disappointed for a moment, before putting on a smile I had seen enough times to know was fake. It was his campaign smile, the one he flashed his supporters when he had been travelling and working for ten hours before that, the one he put on whenever Sarah asked him to do something he didn't want to do.
"It's ok. It was outside of work hours, and no one has to know that I had to walk you home. We never have to talk about it again, if that's what you want." Jon said reluctantly. To be completely honest, I wanted to talk about it again. I wanted him to say what he wanted to tell me in the elevator. I wanted to feel his arms around me again. But it just wasn't right, and would be bad for both of our careers. I couldn't imagine what Fox News would say if they found out Jon Ossoff was somehow involved with one of his interns. We walked ahead to our next house. I rang the doorbell
"Are you mad at me?" Jon broke the silence, walking ahead to our next house. I wasn't able to answer before someone opened the door, and Jon put on his 'super politician' persona. I wish they knew him the way I did. Or maybe I liked how I was one of the few people who got to see him with his guard down. I zoned out for the majority of the time Jon talked, jotting down some notes and filling in checkboxes so I'd have some information to bring back to the bus. Finally, we left the house.
"No, I'm not mad at you," I said, looking up at Jon's illuminated features. "I just don't want either of us to cross the line or do something we'll both regret. You have to promise me that you'll keep and respect normal, workmate boundaries."
"I promise, as long as you promise too." Jon held out his pinky, which I shook with my own.
"We're still friends though, right?" I asked after a couple moments of uncertainty.
