"Do I?"
"Outside you said this was your bar." "Yeah and?"
"You told me you worked in IT and also that you haven't been to Hellhole in ages!" Laura pressed:
"I know you don't owe me any explanations, Ezra, but...we are neighbors and also kinda friends, you don't have to hide anything from me, did you think I would judge you?"
"Maybe," the elder admitted, looking at her with a slightly searching expression before he added:
"Okay, you've got me. I do work in IT, but I also own this bar."
"Oh?"
"It's a family business, my dad founded it and when he died I took over and just...couldn't let go. That is why I come here sometimes."
"Why didn't you just tell me? It's nothing to be ashamed of, no need to make those stories about you going to your hometown," Laura breathed out.
"I guess I just didn't want to deter you, Hellhole isn't a nice address," Ezra said.
"You already told me that you grew up here and you should know by now that I won't judge, I have gone through some bad neighborhoods too, I am not as innocent as I might look."
"Oh, that sounds interesting, you wanna tell me more about it?" Ezra smirked in interest before he leaned closer and said quietly: "I already know that you are a bad girl, baby, that night a few days ago was...amazing."
"It was," Laura breathed out, instantly feeling hotter from just thinking about what happened. Even when she was imagining sex with Ezra, she would have never thought it would be like that, that they'd end up in a restroom in a club where she'd practically scream from how rough she was fucked.
"Maybe we could repeat it sometimes," Ezra licked his lips and his eyes slipped to Laura's kissable mouth.
He wasn't really one to sleep with someone more than once, but he would certainly make an exception for this beauty, especially since the silver-haired beauty was so wild, it was obvious she had a freaky side and he liked that.
"Are you gonna come back to your apartment soon?" Laura wondered.
"I'm not sure yet, there are a few things I still have to take care of, but you are welcome here in my bar anytime, pretty."
"Hey, Eli!" they were interrupted by the blonde bartender that came to them. "Eli?" Laura turned with a questioning gaze at her neighbor.
"It's a nickname," the elder explained briefly and then asked Skya what he wanted. Laura thought that it was a strange nickname, shouldn't it be Ez if anything? On the other hand, that didn't have such a nice ring to it, Eli sounded much better and he realized once again that there were lots of things she didn't know about the elder yet.
"Nico called, he has something important for you," the bartender told him, and then
turned to Laura: "Hi, I am Skya, I have never seen you here."
"Yeah, my first time, hi Skya I'm Laura," she introduced herself with a smile.
"Anyway, Laura," Ezra said and the younger didn't even realize that it was the first time he called her by her name in ages:
"I have to get going, but like I said, you can stop by anytime, just be more careful out there, I might not be around to save your pretty ass."
"I'll keep that in mind," Laura chuckled as she hopped down from the stool: "See you soon, Ezra."
With that, she left with dark eyes following her outside.
When the bar owner looked back at Skya, the older girl was staring at him: "Did she just call you-"
"Shut up," he retorted as a smirk curled on his lips.
"Oh god, what are you up to now? This is not gonna end fucking well," the blonde rolled her eyes, but she was called by a thirsty customer so she walked away.
Laura was officially jobless and that also meant she was bored. She had started looking for a new job straight away, but she didn't really find anything intriguing and he didn't want to settle for anything.
Ezra still hasn't come back home, but for the first time since she moved in here, she met his roommate. Laura was already thinking that he didn't exist because he was like a ghost, but the other day he met him outside of the door and he introduced himself as Gray.
When Laura was bored, she had all kinds of ideas and one of them was to take Ezra up on his offer and come to see him in the bar because that was where he had to be, right? When she met Gray, she wanted to ask about him but then she changed her mind because it just seemed rude at the first meeting.
Instead, she just headed to the Steel Angels. This time she dressed up better in darker colors to blend in a little bit, hoping no one would try to rob her this time.
It was still quite early and she had no idea when the bar was opening, but she didn't really care as she left, anything was better than to be bored at home.
She really needed more friends because she had nothing to do when June was busy, but it was slowly changing with Ezra in the picture now.
She walked in and immediately saw the place was almost empty, there were only a few customers, some playing billiards, some just sitting and chatting and there was that blonde bartender again. Well, at least She knew Skyla knew Ezra.
"Hey there, Miss Skyla, remember me?" Laura greeted the lady.
"Ah, of course, the pretty silver-haired lady my boss was chatting to the other day," Skyla grinned when she looked up:
"And please, drop the formalities, we don't do it here."
Laura remembered Ezra telling her about this so it was a thing here, they didn't use honorifics or formal language.
"Is Ezra around?" She wondered. Skyla eyed her for a few seconds as if she wanted to say something, but then she just smiled.
"He's on some job, but he should be back soon," the blonde informed her: "What can I get for you? It's on the house, I am sure the boss would agree."
"Just beer, thanks," Laura chuckled.
"You are pretty cute," Skyla grinned.
"And you are so beautiful."
"I like you, Laura," she winked at her as she got her a beer.
Laura shared the sentiment, she only saw Skyla for the second time but she was giving out these nice and chill vibes.
"So for how long have you known Ezra?"
"Since he was shitting in diapers," Skyla snorted:
"Like literally, we pretty much grew up together, I am his cousin."
"Oh! That is interesting, good looks definitely run in your family, even though in different ways."
"You already hooked up with him, didn't you?" Skyla eyed her knowingly with a smirk: "Hey, I don't judge, no one around here does."
Laura wanted to retort something, maybe explain herself even though she didn't have to, but it was interrupted by engines roaring outside. Motorcycles.
"He rides a bike?" Laura wondered.
"Yep, almost everyone around here does, I do too, even though I usually just ride with my boyfriend."
"Oh, you have a boyfriend?"
"Yep, that tall cutie over there," the bartender smiled and flicked her head towards the door just when a tall man walked in, followed by another slightly shorter man and then by Ezra and a few more people.
"You've got a visitor," Skyla yelled at Ezra before anyone could start speaking and saying anything compromising, she had a feeling that Laura was completely clueless, there was one strong indicator.
"Laura," the black-haired man grinned: "So nice to see you, pretty."
"Skyla, give us all beers, will you?" one man said loudly.
"Try the magic word, Hunter," the bartender retorted.
"Give us beers, bitch," Hunter teased, making Skyla nearly throw a glass at him, but it was prevented by her boyfriend getting behind the counter and pulling her for a kiss.
"Everything went well?" Skyla asked quietly.
"Yeah, perfect," the boyfriend reassured her.
"Laura, you already met Skyla," Ezra said.
"Yep and I just found out you are cousins," she grinned.
"Looks like you talked about some private stuff," Ezra hummed and glared at Skyla, silently asking if she told her something else.
But the blonde just shook her head subtly so he knew he was safe.
"These two are Hunter and Nico."
"So this is your little gang?" Laura chuckled and Ezra raised eyebrows.
Laura snorted at his reaction and added: "Friends, I mean."
"Yeah, exactly," Hunter laughed, finally getting his desired beer from Skyla. "What brings you here?" Ezra turned to her again.
"Was just bored, I have nothing to do," the younger mumbled.
"Mm, you came to the right place then, there are plenty of things to do around here," Ezra said lowly and Laura sensed the ambiguity and suggestion behind his words.
Her mind immediately went back to the events in the club that happened about ten days ago and if she was being honest, she wouldn't be mad if they repeated it.