His smile changes. Softer. Possessive. Like he’s surprised and not at all sorry to see me.
“Asher’s here too,” Mia murmurs behind me. “Should we leave you two to reenact a rom-com meet-cute?”
“Shut up,” I whisper, trying not to look too eager. Or giddy. Or like I’ve been scanning the bar for him since we got here.
But it’s too late. Elijah’s already making his way over.
He doesn’t walk—he stalks. Like gravity bends a little around him.
“Hey baby girl,” he says when he reaches me, voice lower than necessary.
“Hey, babe” I reply, suddenly breathless for no logical reason. “What are you doing here?”
“Asher dragged me out. Said I was brooding again.”
“You were.”
His smirk turns fond. “You calling me out, Baby Girl?”
I shrug, unable to help the smile tugging at my lips. “Maybe.”
He leans in, speaking close to my ear so only I can hear him. “You look good enough to ruin tonight. And don't you think I didn't hear thebabething. I love it by the way.”
My breath catches.
“Elijah…”
“I’m just saying,” he murmurs, brushing a hand down my arm. “If you disappear with me for five minutes, I won’t complain.”
I swat him gently in the chest, laughing.
“You’re incorrigible,” I say.
“And you love it.”
I do. God help me, I do.
But Mia’s waving from the bar and Asher is now talking to Laura—who looks surprisingly intrigued—so I glance back up at Elijah and say, “Stay a while?”
His eyes soften. “You want me to?”
“Yeah. I do.”
And just like that, the night feels like something more. Something ours.
***
The music pulses behind us, bass thudding through the walls like a second heartbeat. The hallway outside the bar’s restrooms is dim and almost empty, a quiet pocket carved out from the chaos inside.
Elijah’s hand is warm on my lower back as we step into the space, his presence solid beside me. The second the door swings shut behind us, the noise muffles—and so does everything else.
“I need a minute,” I murmur, turning toward him.
“Me too,” he says, voice low, gaze steady on mine. “You okay?”
I nod, but it’s automatic. The kind of nod you give when you’re not sure what else to do with your face.
Because really… no. I’m not okay. I’m buzzing. Nervous. Giddy. I feel like I’ve been caught mid-fall, but I’m not scared of hitting the ground anymore. Not if he’s the one catching me.
