Reina leaned against the bar, a sly smirk curving her lips as she watched the bartender work. Her dark eyes tracked his hands, her fingers idly tapping the stem of her glass.
"You always pour this generously?" she asked, arching a brow.
"For stunning brunettes?" He chuckled, tipping the bottle smoothly. "Always."
She grinned, raising the glass to her lips—
A voice slid in from her left, low and sharp. "Is that what they call service now?"
Blair stood beside her, leaning on the bar like she owned it. She didn't look at Reina immediately, her eyes focused on the bartender instead. Her smirk was a casual one, but with an edge.
The bartender glanced between them, hesitating. He shifted awkwardly under Blair's stare, then turned away, busying himself with another drink.
Reina tilted her head, her smirk widening as she finally turned to Blair. "Possessive much?"
Blair shrugged. "He wasn't your type anyway."
"How do you know my type?" Reina asked, amused.
Blair's eyes flicked to her, quick and deliberate, before returning to the bar. "You're talking to it."
Reina blinked, a laugh catching in her throat. "Smooth."
Blair smiled faintly, still not looking directly at her. "I try."
They were silent for a moment, the air between them electric but unspoken. Reina shifted, leaning just slightly closer, her lips tugging into a slow grin.
"So…" she murmured. "You and Ginger."
Blair's smile faltered, her fingers tightening around the bottle of water she was holding.
Reina's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "That's not a thing?"
Blair exhaled through her nose, her jaw tightening. "No."
"Huh." Reina sipped her drink, her smirk wicked. "Could've fooled me."
Blair turned her head slowly, her gaze sharp, her eyes catching Reina's with sudden intensity. "It's not," she said softly. "Trust me."
Reina arched a brow, her grin never slipping. "Then why do you look like you're lying?"
Blair's hand brushed Reina's, just for a second, a brief flicker of touch. Her breath hitched, but she caught herself before the moment lingered too long.
"Guess I'm good at fooling people," Blair murmured.
Elsewhere, behind a locked bathroom door…
Vivienne's fingers gripped Jason's collar tightly, her breath coming in short, desperate gasps. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes dark with need as she pulled him closer, her hands frantic, her lips grazing his jaw.
"Please," she whispered, her voice raw with longing.
Jason braced his hand against the tile wall, his other hand hovering near her hip but never quite touching her. He looked down at her with an expression caught somewhere between regret and reluctance—an act so perfectly polished it could've been carved from stone.
"Viv," he murmured, his tone soft and aching. "We talked about this."
"Once," she whispered, her hands trembling as she tugged on his shirt. "Just one more time."
"No." His voice was firmer now. "I told you. I'm not doing this again."
"Why not?" She clenched her jaw, her breath hitching as a shiver ran down her spine. "You helped me last time."
"That was a mistake."
"You made me better." Her lips brushed his neck. "You cleared my head. It's…calm when I'm with you."
Jason exhaled, a pained sound escaping his throat. "This isn't right."
She caught his face between her hands, her eyes burning with tears she wouldn't let fall. "It is. It is."
He didn't respond, but the faintest shimmer of something invisible seemed to ripple between them, the air thickening, her pulse quickening as warmth flooded her senses.
She gasped, her knees going weak as her mind clouded with the familiar haze of perfect, blissful calm.
Jason's lips tightened, his eyes dark. "I shouldn't…"
Her hands trailed down his chest, her fingers gripping his shirt. "But you are."
He let her pull him closer.
For a moment, it was one-sided—her mouth pressing against his, her body leaning into him, desperate and unsteady—but then he groaned softly, his hand sliding to her waist.
"I'm not doing this again," he whispered between kisses, his breath ragged. "This is the last time."
Beatrix, Leo, and Vivienne stood together outside the party, the night air cool against their skin. The distant sound of music pulsed through the walls behind them, and laughter echoed down the street.
Beatrix hugged herself, her thoughts distant.
"You've been distracted all night," Leo said, his voice light but curious.
"I'm fine," she murmured.
"Sure?"
She hesitated. "Yeah."
But her mind drifted back to a certain over-confident brunette, perhaps she shouldn't have said that to her in the moment but she was scared they were moving too fast for her.
Guilt twisted in her chest.
"Ginger," Leo said softly.
She looked up, her eyes meeting his.
He didn't press.
Vivienne adjusted her coat with a flourish, smirking as she glanced between them. "Well," she said with a dramatic sigh, "this was…something. Reina's no where to be seen, Kian's practically in someone's mouth" She paused, her smirk slipping. "Whatever."
Beatrix's phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen. One word from Reina: Busy.
She sighed and tucked it away.
Meanwhile Reina wasn't at the party anymore.
Blair had planned for a different girl to be in her bed tonight.
But now they were in her apartment, Reina's laughter warm and low as she leaned back against Blair's door, her lips curving into a lazy smile.
Blair felt the heat between them like a live wire. Why did she feel like she was cheating?
Reina tilted her head, her smirk softening. "You think too much."
Blair exhaled slowly. "Do I?"
"Yeah." Reina stepped closer, her fingers brushing Blair's arm. "Stop."
Blair felt her pulse thud under Reina's touch. Her mind screamed for control, but her body moved before she could think.
"Make me," she murmured.
Reina grinned. "Gladly."
Their lips met, soft at first, then sharp and hungry. Blair's hands tangled in Reina's hair, her body leaning into the warmth and the heat and the escape.
For a moment, she didn't think at all.