We finally left the bathroom trailing steam and smiles.
Emily's legs were still wobbly. She leaned on the doorframe for a second, breathing like we'd just run a mile.
"You're dangerous," she mumbled.
I grinned as I passed her a towel.
"You started it."
She rolled her eyes and slapped my ass with the edge of the towel before wrapping it around herself.
We dried off in that kind of comfortable silence that only comes after everything's been said with skin and breath and hands. She was glowing. Hair damp, cheeks flushed, lips still a little swollen from all the kissing. I couldn't stop looking at her.
"We're gonna be late," she said, grabbing a clean pair of panties from her drawer.
I watched her step into them, still half-naked and completely unbothered.
"Fashionably," I replied, walking to my side of the room and tossing my towel off without shame.
We dressed at a lazy pace. Jeans. Crop tops. A little mascara. Lip balm. I spritzed my perfume—just once—and saw her smile when it hit her.
She pulled on her boots while I wrestled with my bra, still light-headed from all the heat and high. Her phone buzzed again.
"Jason," she said, glancing at the screen. "They're already at the pub."
I grabbed my jacket.
"Let's go then. Can't let him drink all the beer."
She raised a brow. "Should we tell him?"
I smirked. "Absolutely not."
We both laughed—quiet and wicked—and headed out the door, two girls still glowing from the shower, walking into the night like nothing in the world could touch us...
...
The pub was louder than I expected.
Warm light spilled from the windows, glass fogged slightly from the buzz of bodies inside. Music pulsed low and steady from somewhere near the back—not loud enough to drown out conversation, but enough to thread through everything like a heartbeat.
Emily and I stepped in together.
The scent of beer, grilled food, and something citrusy from the bar wrapped around us immediately. I tugged my jacket tighter around my waist and scanned the room.
No crowd.
Just clumps of students at tables, staff at booths, someone playing darts in the back.
Jason was already waving at us from the high-top near the corner.
Beside him sat someone I vaguely recognized—Steven something. A guy from one of our core classes. Quiet. Glasses. Always wore faded hoodies and sat in the back row.
That was it.
Just the two of them.
Emily leaned close to my ear as we walked toward them.
"Didn't he say a few of them?"
I shrugged, keeping my voice low. "Maybe we are the few."
She snorted. "Typical."
Jason greeted us with a grin like he'd been expecting a parade.
"There you are. Was starting to think you'd ghosted."
Emily gave him a playful look. "If we had, would you have cried?"
Jason mock-laughed and gestured to the empty stools.
"Sit, sit. This is Steven. Steven, Claire and Emily."
Steven gave a small wave. "Hey."
He didn't even try to hide the way his eyes dipped—first at Emily, then at me. His gaze wasn't gross, just… wide-eyed. Like we were walking into his favorite fantasy without warning.
Emily and I shared a quick glance.
So this was the vibe.
Two guys. Two girls. One very transparent setup.
We sat.
And I smiled.
"So," I said, resting my elbows on the table and lacing my fingers. "What are we drinking?"
We ordered vodka shots because beer felt too slow for the energy we'd walked into.
Jason insisted on the first round—judging by how quick his smile came and how loud his laugh was. Steven didn't talk much, but his eyes kept flicking between Emily and me like he couldn't quite believe he was sitting at the same table.
The four tiny shot glasses landed with a clink. Emily raised hers first.
"To... unexpected invitations," she said, smirking.
Jason grinned. "To bold decisions."
I added, "To girls showing up when they should've ghosted."
Laughter. The shots went down warm and biting. My throat burned in that sweet way that promised a fast, slippery slide into trouble.
We ordered another round.
By the second shot, Jason was leaning in more with every joke, elbows on the table, chin in his hand like he thought he was charming.
"So, be honest," he said, eyes flicking between us. "Was the video that shocking, or just... eye-opening?"
Emily feigned a thoughtful look. "Oh, it opened something, for sure."
Jason coughed on a laugh. "Well, hey, I do what I can for the community."
"The community of creeps?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Guilty," he said, raising his glass.
Steven finally piped up. "Honestly, if someone sent me a video like that and I ended up going home with a gorgeous girl, I'd thank them."
Emily raised a brow. "Assuming we went home with anyone."
"Oh come on," Jason cut in, leaning closer. "You two are sitting here, glowing, whispering to each other like you've got some sexy secret."
Emily met my eyes. We both smiled.
She turned back to the boys.
"Maybe we do."
Jason raised both brows. "And you're not gonna share?"
I leaned my chin into my palm. "Not unless the vodka gets better."
Another round. Another toast. Laughter echoing under the music.
We weren't drunk. Not yet. Just floating.
Just toying with them.
And they had no idea whose game they were playing.
We settled into a rhythm.
Drinks came. Vodka warmed our skin and loosened our laughs. The tension from earlier melted into something lighter—softer around the edges, edged with sparks but not sharp.
Steven leaned his elbow on the table, chin propped in his hand, his eyes locked onto Emily as she told some ridiculous story about a freshman trying to flirt with a TA by faking a sprained ankle.
"And then," she said, eyes wide with mock horror, "he moaned while she helped him up. In front of everyone."
Steven laughed hard, almost choking on his drink.
"That's actually bold. I respect the audacity."
"You would," I muttered.
Jason turned to me. "So what's your boldest move, Claire?"
I met his gaze, deadpan.
"Showing up tonight."
He blinked—then grinned like he liked that answer a little too much.
Emily leaned into me, nudging my knee under the table.
Jason caught it.
"Oh, I see. So you two come as a pair now?"
"Only sometimes," Emily said sweetly, sipping her drink.
Steven let out a quiet "damn" under his breath, and I caught his lip twitching like he was trying not to smile too wide.
We weren't shutting them down. Not exactly. But we weren't making it easy, either.
It was a dance now.Us, electric and playful. Them, trying to keep up.
And I had to admit… I liked it.
I liked the four of us in this bubble. The clink of glasses. The stupid jokes. The way Steven kept sneaking glances at Emily when he thought no one noticed. The way Jason sat a little straighter when I looked at him too long.
It wasn't pressure. It wasn't anything serious.
It was just... fun.
And maybe that's what we needed tonight.
Something reckless. Harmless.
Almost harmless.
For now.