04.

FELIX.

I’m ashamed to say she tugged at my heartstrings with those words. And not only because she stands there, in her messy state, with those brown eyes fixated on me as she waits for a response to her words. And despite the slight vulnerability I thought I heard when she muttered those words, I see no such thing in her eyes.

She’s just so good with her emotions, isn’t she?

“What?” I say just to taunt her, wanting her to repeat those words. But it’s Brynn Addams. I’m sure she’d rather wish the ground open up and swallow her before she let that sentence leave her mouth for a second time.

“You heard me.” She replies with a hiss, that stoic expression back on her face and I smirk as I take the one step I had taken down back up. “I did. I just want you to repeat them.”

She unfits her hands from the sides of her dress, and for a second, I thought she was contemplating it, but… “You can leave.” She nods to the exit before she turns and starts walking back to her table. I shake my head and watch as her frame disappears further into the distance. Once she’s about to get to her table, I follow suit, glaring at each head that turned when she walked past.

“I told you to leave.” She says when I reach the table and grab the seat opposite her.

“We both know you didn’t mean that one.” I throw her a smile, but do not get it back. For a moment, I let my eyes drift away from Brynn to the ground level, and they roam across the crowded room, in the hope of finding the girl I was with.

I don’t find her. So I return my attention to Brynn. “Why are you here all alone, anyway? Don’t you have friends?”

“I do.”

“And?”

“I wanted to come here.” She shrugs and I drop my hands on the table to lean forward. “Should have come with a friend. Better protection than alone.”

“I can protect myself.” She says in a determined voice and I choke back a laugh. When she sends me a glare, I wipe the smile off and clear my throat. “Didn’t seem so earlier.”

“I can.” She repeats. “And my friends wouldn’t come here even if I asked. They prefer shopping for new bags or designer clothes, and attending high society events, than wasting away at a local club.”

“They’re supposed to be your friends,” I tell her and she nods. I don’t know what she’s doing, but she isn’t meeting my eyes and I can’t see her face. Her head is bent and her hair is shielding her away from me. “Hey.” I’m taken aback by my softened voice but continue. “Are you okay?”

Seconds of silence, then I hear her sniff, I think?

She mutters some words, but I don’t hear and I lean further over the table. “I can’t hear you.” She finally raises her head after that and I almost fall back on my seat when her face appears so close to mine. My lips slowly part as I stare into her big brown eyes, framed by such long lashes. She’s unbelievably beautiful up this close and for a second, she just captivates me. Hypnotizes me and I can’t move my head even though I want to. I can’t look away from her.

Not until she opens her mouth. “I just… I just want to feel free. That’s why I came here.”

I gulp so hard, I think I dried my mouth as I finally get the strength to move a bit back and Brynn continues, “I wanted to be away from all that pressure. All the prim and proper attitude. Having to plaster a smile on my face despite the havoc inside me. I couldn’t bear it anymore. I couldn’t stand another second of pretending I was fine when all I just wanted to do was let out the tears because it hurt so much. And it does. It hurts… so, so much. I…” her words slowly break into a sob and I feel a part of me that’s never present before her open up as I watch her bury her face in her hands.

My hand immediately reaches out and I’m almost patting her hair when it hangs in the air.

No.

I drop my hand and chuckle instead. “Hey, stop sobbing. People might think I’m the one making you cry and that’s a bad look for me, you know?”

“You’re an absolute idiot.” She says in a small tone, but I hear it and I smile as she removes her face from her palms and uses the back of her hand to dab her skin. When she meets my eyes again, it’s hard to believe she just broke down a second ago.

“You didn’t see that.” Warning is edged to her voice and I draw an imaginary zipper over my lips.

“So you needed me here? For that?” I lift a brow and she tucks her hair behind her ears. “No.” I tilt my head and wait for her to elaborate. “I want you to make me have fun. You’re the master of that, aren’t you?”

My mouth lifts in a smirk. “Have fun, as in…” my eyes drop to her chest and they don’t linger from there as I speak. “You might be broken up at the moment, but you’re still Ash’s girl. You sure you want me to—”

“No, whore. Hey, eyes up!” She snaps her fingers and my gaze immediately lifts at her comment. That irritation she always stares at me with is back. “Is that all you think about? I didn’t mean that. I mean fun, as in what those guys are currently doing.” She nods behind me and my eyes follow to the crowd of people on the dancing floor.

“That kind of fun. They look free, happy, and least worried about everything else happening in the world.”

“That’s ‘cause they are,” I affirm as I look back at her. She nods, then stays silent. “So that kind of fun. I think I might have an idea. Come on.” I stand from the seat and offer my hand to her. She stares at it like it’s a plague and I slowly withdraw it, slipping both inside my pockets.

I keep forgetting despite whatever we’re doing right now, she’s still Brynn Addams. And she isn’t a friend. Nor my next girl. Just someone I’m helping out. Why? I honestly don’t know. She says her requests like they’re commands, but I still heed. Because strangely, I don’t want her alone. And not just because she’s drawing the guys’ attention.

She grabs her purse off the table and follows as I lead us to the ground level. Once we’re in the crowd, I keep her in front of me while I trail behind as we stagger our way through the swarm of bodies and when we make it through; I lead us to the bar.

“What’s your alcohol tolerance?” I shout over the loud music, and she looks confused as she answers. “I don’t know.”

“What’s the most cups you’ve taken?” I ask and she just stares at me like I’ve asked the strangest question anyone has ever asked her. I chuckle. “What? You don’t drink?”

She’s quick to deny that one. “I do.”

Her answer and that tone don’t seem convincing but she was drinking from that cup earlier, so I don’t get suspicious over that and turn to the bartender instead, who thinks ogling her is his job.

“Yo. Eyes up here, man.” My tone is harsh, and I glower at him. “The fuck are you looking at?”

He blinks, flustered. “Nothing. I just… what’s your order?”

“Two shots of that.” I motion to the bottle of gin. “And keep it coming after that.”

“Alright.” He turns to get to work and when I’m sure he isn’t secretly stealing glances, I remove my gaze to see Brynn staring around the area with curious, big doe eyes.

“What? You’ve never been to a club? What exactly do you do in your rich society?”

She levels my gaze. “Of course I’ve been. They’re just different from this one. Less crowdy. Less explicit music and sights.” She nods to a couple eating each other’s faces against the wall and I laugh. “Hey, that’d have been me if you hadn’t stolen me from the girl I was with.”

“I bet.” She looks back at me. “And I didn’t steal you. You came willingly.”

She isn’t wrong and I’m not given a chance to respond to that—not that I had anything to respond with—as the bartender appears with shot glasses lined in a tray.

“And I rarely do this too.” She eyes the glasses as they’re lined before us.

“You sure you want to do this?”

“Yeah.” She responds without meeting my eyes and I nod as I grab one glass and pass her another.

“To fun.” I wink and down mine, a hiss slipping through my lips as the burn of alcohol hits my throat, leaving a welcomed bitter taste in my mouth.

When I drop the glass, and turn to Brynn. I expect her to still be staring at her glass, or at most halfway through. What I don’t expect is for her to be done with the first, and already drowning the second.

“Wow.” I don’t know when the sound escapes my throat and I just watch as she leaves the second glass with the first and then reaches for the third. I don’t know when my hand moves to cover hers, stopping her from raising the glass. “Slow down.”

“I’m desperate.” She mumbles and glares at the hand touching hers. I quickly remove my touch and, once again, just watch as she downs the third shot. She slams the glass next to the first two and squeezes her eyes. “That burns.”

“Right?”

“But it feels good.” The shadow of a smile layers on her mouth and I can’t hold back my smile as I grab my second glass while she grabs her fourth.

Just like this evening, the night has also taken an unexpected turn. Except this time, it’s pleasing and I’m amused.

I stare at Brynn from the corner of my eyes as I down my second glass.

It’s going to be a long night.