Morose ✔️

16

When the motorcycles finally stopped, we were outside a dive bar I'd never heard of before. It was indeed across town, I'd say even further, down the main road and past the warehouse. It was crawling with people, two- and three-wheelers, and it reeked of cigarettes and alcohol. This was absolutely not where I saw my night going, I would have preferred to lay on the couch in Helix's embrace, hear his dark voice say how worried he'd been for me, and ask when our next date was gonna be. Instead I was left with... this.

Would it even count as a date?

Jesse disappeared into the crowd of people smoking outside the entrance, immediately pushing a girl up against the wall and smiling at her. I had no idea how he did it, much less how he didn't get slapped several times a day, but I guessed he just had that... boyish charm? I rolled my eyes at him as Helix took my hand and walked me inside.

It was crowded in there too, people with similar jackets to the ones we were wearing, but with other animals on. I saw a panther, a few different dog breeds and vultures. The vulture ones were ones I looked out for the most. "Here," Helix said, handing me a glass with clear liquid, interrupting my ogling of the people he was there to spy on. "If you can't find me, go outside, these people are—"

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

A hand slapped across Helix's face, and by the looks of it, I was the only one surprised by it. He grimaced, rubbing his hand over his scarred cheek and narrowing his eyes at the girl next to me.

She was gorgeous; her hair was shiny, black and so straight I could only dream of making mine look like that, her boobs were practically out of her corset-like top, and her arms were covered by a way-too-big vulture jacket. I bit my lip. Jordan was probably right, it'd look better for Helix if I'd worn one of his jackets, but it was too late for that. I stepped up in front of her and said, "What the hell, we've barely been here ten seconds!"

The girl smiled, a fake smile. "Who are you?" She glanced at my jacket. "No wonder the wolves' shop is going down if they hire trash like you."

"Excuse me—"

"Lina, shut the fuck up," Helix said darkly from behind me. A warning.

The girl, Lina, looked up at him before glancing to both sides. "She's here, you know, she's gonna flip out if she sees you."

"I don't care, I need a fucking drink." He took my glass and downed it, making me worry slightly about how we'd get home later, but I guessed if he had several girls bold enough to slap his face there, he did need it.

Lina studied me, smiling a little more genuinely after a few seconds, before she asked, "Is Jesse here? I've got a bone to pick with him."

"He's outside, flirting with some chick." Helix sounded monotone, angry even, and I didn't blame him.

"Of course," she huffed, rolling her eyes, "If she sees you, I had no idea you were here." She turned on her heel, marching off towards the front door with her stiletto's clacking on the floor. I wanted to ask who she was, why she slapped him and how she knew Jesse, but there were a whole lot of people there, music in the background making everything just a spoonful more exhausting to endure, and he didn't look even remotely happy.

He ordered us new drinks, emptying his in a flash, before I could even get a sip down. He leaned against the bar, looking over the masses of people, before he took my hand when I sat my empty glass down and pulled me to the dance floor.

His eyes glimmered for a split second with mischief, making me smile a little, as he put his hands on my hips and started moving to the music. He leaned in, kissing my neck, my earlobe and whispered, "If you hear anything weird, let me know."