"I'll take it."
Across the bar, Candace watches with wide eyes. Darla mouths oh my god at me. I press my lips together to keep from laughing.
Ruby, of course, has no filter. "You two are exhausting. Just kiss already so the rest of us can stop watching this slow-motion car crash."
Frankie's head whips toward her. "Ruby—"
"What? I'm just saying what everyone's thinking."
Leo's grin doesn't falter. Widens. "I'm game if you are."
Frankie's blush deepens. "In your dreams."
"Frequently," he says, voice dropping just enough that I almost don't catch it. Frankie does, though. Her breath hitches,pupils dilating, and for a second she looks at him as though she's forgotten why this is a bad idea.
Then Arden appears. He steps up beside Leo so quietly that nobody notices him move.
"Victor wants you," Arden says.
Reluctance flickers across Leo's face before he smooths it. "Yeah. Okay." He glances at Frankie. "Rain check?"
"Maybe."
"Still taking maybe." He pushes off the bar, hesitates, then leans back in. Voice dropping, meant only for her. "Eat something. Please. For me."
Frankie's throat works. She nods once, barely perceptible. Leo's smile goes soft, genuine, devastating. Then he's gone.
But Arden lingers. He fixes Frankie with a steady, unblinking stare. "You're playing with fire."
Frankie's chin lifts. "I know what I'm doing."
"Do you?" Arden's gaze doesn't waver. "Because from where I'm standing, you're letting yourself care about someone you can't keep."
"Mind your business, Arden."
"He's human," Arden says, voice flat. "You know how this ends."
Frankie's hands curl into fists. "I said mind your business."
Arden stares for a long, loaded beat. Then, softer he says, "I'm trying to spare you the grief."
"Too late," Frankie mutters.
Arden's gaze holds hers a beat too long. Then he's through the door without making a sound.
The second they're out of earshot, Ruby leans in. "Okay, what the hell was that about?"
Frankie doesn't answer right away. Her fingers drum against the bar. One, two, three; a rhythm that feels practiced, almost ritualistic. "He's human," she says finally. Flat.
Ruby blinks. "Yeah? So?"
Frankie's smile is bitter. "So it doesn't matter how much I—" She cuts herself off. "It just doesn't matter."
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You like him. He clearly likes you. What else matters?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
