Leon and the other man were conversing, and it wasn’t easy, but I tried to focus on the noise from their corner instead of the noise surrounding me. There was a brief moment of quiet as Victoria got up to use the bathroom and one of the couples made their way to the bar to order a cocktail. Only then was I able to catch a few brief moments of what they were saying.
“…finally let me out. Fuck, if that’s all he needs me to do, what’s a little…”
I would have been able to understand more if I had dared to watch Leon’s lips move. But I knew that if I raised my eyes in his direction, I’d find him staring back.
“…about you? Hunting again?”
Now, his companion spoke. The man’s voice was deep, the kind of voice that balanced firmly on the edge of sarcasm, as if he’d laugh at any moment. “Yeah. I’m getting close…be fun…if she doesn’t kill me first…”
I was distracted as Inaya got up to leave and hugged me good-bye. By the time I sat down again, the corner table was empty, and Leon and his friend walked past our table.
His eyes met mine: a challenge, an invitation. There was a pre-roll clutched between his fingers, and his friend had an arm slung over his shoulders. Through the bar’s window, I watched the two of them round the corner of the building, likely going to smoke in the alleyway alongside it.
I wasn’t the only one who’d watched them pass. Victoria had glared at them the whole way out, and with them gone, our gazes locked with each other instead.
She smirked. “He’s hot, right?”
Her boy toy of the night didn’t look pleased with her statement, but I couldn’t disagree. “Yeah, and a dick.”
She shrugged. “Pretty things don’t need to be likeable, do they?”
My foot kept tapping against the stool. I slipped my hand into the pocket of my jacket to grip my vape. “I’ll be right back.” I got up from the table. “Gonna go smoke real quick.”
Outside, the air was crisply cold, my breath forming clouds of condensation as I exhaled. The music from the bar was muted, and the scent of weed was sour and sharp on the breeze. I stood near the corner of the building, the silhouettes of Leon and his friend dark in my peripheral vision down the alleyway. I took a drag on my vape, and the scent of strawberry cream mingled with the odor of weed.
From behind me, the low murmur of the men’s voices sent a little chill up my spine. Then Leon’s voice called, “Are you just going to stand there and hope we bother you, Raelynn? Or are you going to come get what you want?”
I whirled around, my free hand shoved in my pocket so they wouldn’t see my fingers clench. Leon leaned against the side of the building, passing the joint to his friend, who smirked at me before he took a drag. I didn’t appreciate him reading into my actions like that.
I didn’t appreciate him being right.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I said. Leon shrugged.
“It’ll be easier for you to eavesdrop on our conversation if you come closer,” his friend said, exhaling smoke with his words.
If I’d actually thought they were a threat to me, I wouldn’t have taken another step closer. But that was the weird thing. They should have been frightening, but instead, I felt this bizarre trust. This completely unfounded belief that they wouldn’t lay a hand on me unless I wanted them to.
And fuck, I did want them to.
I walked closer, standing next to them in the alley’s dim light. It was warmer down there — not only because of the building’s closeness, but because the two of them emanated heat. It was weird, but it stopped my shivering. Leon nodded at his friend. “That’s Zane.”
Zane threw up a peace sign, joint at his lips. “Brothers?” I asked.
Leon chuckled dryly. “I don’t think most people fuck their brothers.”
“Some do,” Zane said quickly. “Bros with benefits.”
“It’s frowned upon.”
“As if you give a fuck what’s frowned upon.” Zane laughed and passed the joint back to him.
Neither of them looked high, and the joint was nearly gone. The only noticeable difference was that Leon’s piercing gaze had slightly softened, making it almost bearable as he watched me take another drag from my vape.
“What is that shit?” he said.
“Strawberries and cream.” I offered it up for a hit. He shook his head.
“Won’t do anything for me.”
Leon took a long drag on the joint, the ember at the tip flaring brightly with his inhale. He blew the smoke in my face: piney, sour-sweet. "Better than that sweet vapor, isn't it? That shit you tell yourself is enough…” He shook his head. “Just doesn't satisfy."