Kid

The look of jealousy awaits.

I leave the room after our brief meeting, getting met with a laser-eyed beam of hatred.

I couldn’t give two shits. Silas was dumb as fuck for thinking Dario was going to need him for anything other than an introduction. I’m the guy, not Silas. That much couldn’t be more clear. Some people have it, some people don’t.

But I’m not paying attention to him or his narrowed eyes focusing on the newly appointed man of the hour. I’m not bothered by the fact that I can literally swoop into town and, in less than three weeks, already replace him in the business of wheelin’ and dealin’. No, I’m not focusing on that at all.

I’m focused entirely on a situation before me. One that has me shook in my high top Converse. A vision that has my knees feeling weak and my chest constricting.

A woman up near the main stage, slipping some cash into the thong of the stripper who’s currently mid-split before her.

A woman who can appreciate the beauty of another woman while being sexually turned on by it.

A woman who ghosts people when feelings become involved.

A woman who made no promise to stay around for me.

A woman named Han.

I approach from the side and see she’s with a group of guys and one other girl, so I sit at a table nearby. Silas leans up against the bar, making conversation with the cocktail waitress he apparently knows.

The guy knows people, I’ll give him that. He weasels his way into situations with that big mouth of his, but it’s that mouth that seems to get him in trouble. It’s his mouth that cost him the deal. The deal that should hopefully bring quick cash and an out from the business altogether.

I turn my attention back to Han, watching as the stripper flirts with her, grinning mischievously as she accepts Han’s cash.

I can’t for the life of me understand why they’re in this shithole. She’s too good to be around this type of reckless endangerment, not knowing the level of fuckery that goes on behind the closed sex doors. The kind of fuckery that keeps businesses like this open and running in order to clean the cash they bring through.

Han’s wearing these black, see-through stockings littered with stars, the shortest black leather shorts on top, and overly large platform booties on her pretty little feet. It’s the off the shoulder crop top that kills me though. Seeing all that exposed neck, the exposed slit of abdomen that I vividly remember running my tongue along. Her short, choppy hair ending near her jawline gave me nothing but visual access to those tattoos littering that little neck I’d had my hands so tightly wrapped around.

Fuck, why did she ghost me?

She turns around, heading back to sit by the group, when her eyes snap up and find mine. It’s like she can feel me when I’m in her vicinity. Something always draws her eyes to me, just like it did at Bran’s beach house party. There’s a distinct pull between us.

I’m expecting to be blown off, for her to look the other way, to pretend she never saw me, to escape the awkwardness of our history in the present. But of course, Han is Han.

“Kai! Oh my god!” she says in her cracked, sexy tone, running towards me with a smile.

I can feel my forehead wrinkle in confusion. She’s excited to see me? Then I forget, this is outside Han. Her shell. Her happy public persona in the neon light of the night.

She runs up to me as I stand from my table and catch her as she jumps into my arms.

Yep, my heart is racing, and it’s not from sampling varieties of coke with Dario.

I try not to cop a feel, but can’t help myself from gently squeezing her ass in my hands. I breathe in her peachy scent, sniffing her hair. I’m sniffing her fucking hair, probably grinning blissfully like a psycho.

She pulls back from our brief hug as I’m still holding her midair.

“What are you doing here?!”

“Working, you?”

She cocks a brow at my statement, then drops it.

“We just happened to be driving by. Looked like a dope place,” she answers simply.

“Dope indeed,” I say under my breath.

“Come, hang out with us,” she says, resting her arms on my shoulders, leaning her head to the side adorably.

I reluctantly set her down, watching as she bounces back towards their table. I follow and sit on the edge of the booth next to where she slides in.

I met a few of her friends. A guy named Finn who has tattoos all over his bald skull and face, a guy named Sidney who has a solid tan, and blonde, shoulder length hair, and a girl named Vaughn with long curly blonde hair, who’s wearing a short sunflower sundress.

This is the strangest calibration of people. A biker, a beach bum, a sweet christian girl, and Han.

I talk with Sidney while Han and Vaughn get more drinks from the bar. He’s such a surfer dude, it’s not even funny. From the curl in his sun-bleached hair to the crow’s feet in the corner of his eyes from years of squinting the bright sun away. The way he exaggerates everything he’s talking about and his overuse of the word awesome and like is really hilarious. “A totally, like awesome wave came at me bro, and I just like, had an awesome ride.”

Han’s walking back towards the table, her eyes still on Vaughn as they giggle about something. I watch as Vaughn grabs her hand, pulling Han into her before whispering something in her ear and kissing her on the cheek. She eyes her body from behind as Han approaches me. I know that look. I know that look because I make that face. She’s got the hots for her.

Vaughn and Han. I even hate how their names sound good together. It’s clear Han has a thing for hot blondes, myself included.

After a few more drinks and a couple more dances, the group leaves good ol’ Lust Lay and heads on over to the after bar party spot at Sid’s beach house.

Han wraps her arms around my neck, leaning into my ear to whisper, “Come with us.”

She leans her head back, finding my curious eyes, gauging for an answer. Of course I’m coming. Where the fuck else would I want to be than at an A-Bar with my crush? But it’s an odd feeling, a confusing one. Knowing I’m setting myself up for a bit of intolerable pain.

I nod slowly, trailing my eyes from hers to her lips and back. When her face is this close to mine, I feel that fist-sized muscle in my rib cage actively trying to start up again. It makes it hard to breathe, the pain almost constricting.

She grabs for my hand, leading me out of the booth as we head towards the parking lot with the rest of the crew. I give the two-fingered salute to Silas at the bar as I push open the door with my back. Han watches me, peering towards Silas who’s eyeing me with that same jealous look that hasn’t left him. She bites the corner of her lip, trying to hold back the impending smile at the gesture I’ve picked up from my favorite quirky girl.

They all start walking towards this old ass station wagon with wood paneling that looks like something a grandmother from the 80s would drive. Vaughn and Han hold hands as they walk. Han looks at me subtly over her shoulder as she parts ways. I grab her hand, pulling her in my direction at the same time as Vaughn. She separates from her hand, looking from my eyes to hers with an empathetic smile.

“She’s riding with me,” I say to Vaughn, smirking.

That’s right. She’s mine.

Vaughn looks cautiously at Han as if wondering if I’m trustworthy. Han just smiles and nods at her. “I’ll see you there, babe.”

Babe. She called her babe. Ugh.

We walk towards my car, and I get a bit of nervous excitement in my guts at the idea of us having some alone time after wishing for this moment for weeks. Finally, a chance to connect with her again.

One way or another, I’ll get my answers.