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Lute didn’t find herself at bars often. They were always too loud for her, and it was more of Adam’s scene anyway.
Not that she cared about what Adam liked anymore.
Fucking son of a bitch.
She took a sip of her whiskey, letting the harsh liquor burn her throat as she glanced slide-long at whatever garage band was taking over the stage that night. She didn’t recognize them, but they were clearly a cover band; a few of the songs were vaguely familiar, but nothing she regularly listened to.
She only knew it because Adam would listen to it non-stop.
Fucking hell.
Lute downed the rest of the whiskey, setting the cup back down onto the bar with a small clink that was immediately drowned out by the rest of the bar.
The noise was a nice distraction, the whiskey made her head fuzzy, and maybe things would be better for a bit.
She made eye contact with the bartender and tapped the lip of the glass. He got the memo, topping her up before returning to whatever cocktail he was working on for the girl next to her.
She was…
Very pretty.
Pretty wasn’t the right word for it—she was gorgeous. Her dark skin was lit up by the bright lights of the bar, which also highlighted her pink, white, and black hair. Half of it was pulled back into tight braids, while the other half was down in waves, falling to her chin. Skull earrings hung from her ears, as well as a variety of other piercings.
The bartender set her drink on the bar in front of her—a pink mix in a martini glass with a lime.
She grinned. “Thanks, Husk.”
“Fuck off, Vel.” He narrowed his eyes at her.
She only winked, sipping her drink. “What, can’t a girl just want a fun drink?”
“Not when it’s you. What, Vox couldn’t spare the time?”
Lute glanced between the two of them, watching the conversation unfold. The name Vox rang a distant bell in her head, but she wasn’t quite sure where.
“You know how the cunt is,” the faux-sweetness dropped from Vel’s voice, settling at a lower register than before. “Something came up last minute for Val, because of course.”
…Fucking hell.
Lute sipped her drink, continuing to listen to the conversation over the music.
“Surprised you didn’t tell him to fuck off, then.” Husk mused, wiping down a wet glass with a towel.
“I was in a nice mood.” Vel shrugged.
He snorted. “Since when?”
Vel sipped her drink. “So, what’re you staring, at angel?”
Lute choked on her drink, the whiskey burning her throat and sinuses as she coughed. “Uh– what?”
“You heard me.”
No shit.
Vel set her glass down, leaning closer to Lute. “Not to pry, but this doesn’t seem like your kind of place.”
“She absolutely means to pry,” Husk said.
“Shut up, Husk.”
He shrugged, walking away from the two of them and to the other side of the bar.
Vel rolled her eyes, looking back at Lute. “Well?”
Lute set her half-finished glass down. “Bars are usually too loud for my taste. This band sucks.”
She snorted. “Damn right. No idea what Alastor was thinking with that. I know chicks who could make better fuckin’ music in their sleep.”
Lute arched an eyebrow. “You know the owner?”
Vel shrugged. “Kind of? Friend of mine has some weird-ass one-sided rivalry with the bloke.”
“Ah. Vox?”
“Yep. I’m Velvette.” She winked. “And you?
She hesitated slightly before answering. “Lute.”
Vel finished off the rest of her drink. “Well, Lute. Wanna get out of here?”
Lute should’ve said no. It would’ve been the smarter choice.
She wasn’t feeling all that smart right now. Maybe it was the whiskey.
Maybe she just needed a distraction.
Lute clicked her tongue. “Absolutely.”
——————————————————————
The rough brick facade of the bar dug into Lute’s back through her shirt, but she barely felt it, her thoughts more occupied by Vel’s lips on hers.
She was a good kisser, which wasn’t something Lute was surprised by.
But she was really good.
Vel pressed closer to her, her hands sliding to her hips. Lute’s hands cupped the sides of Vel’s face, leaning further into the kiss. One of her hands slid into her wavy half of her hair, fingers curling into the textured strands.
Her teeth tugged at Lute’s lower lip teasingly, and her lips parted with a soft groan. Vel’s tongue slipped into her mouth as her hands slipped under Lute’s shirt, fingers gliding up her ribcage.
The kiss broke, and Lute’s lips went to Vel’s jaw, trailing kisses towards her ear, fingers tightening in her hair. Vel’s hands slid higher towards her back, pulling her closer. They were completely pressed together now, thigh to chest.
“Rough day?” Vel murmured, pulling away slightly and pressing her lips against Lute’s ear.
“Rough week,” Lute’s hand slid down to rest on Vel’s bare collarbone, left exposed by her crop top.
She hummed, lips trailing down Lute’s neck, teeth grazing her pulse. She sucked in a breath, tilting her head back and exposing more of her neck to Vel.
Vel grinned against her neck, wedging her knee between her thighs. “Mm, you like that?”
“Fuck-” Lute cleared her throat, nails digging into Vel’s shoulder.
She could feel the triumph radiating off of her as Vel’s lips continued down to the crook of her neck. One of her hands found the hem of Lute’s bra, slipping beneath the fabric and pressing against her spine.
Lute hooked a leg over Vel’s hip, untangling her hand from her hair for it to rest against her neck. Vel removed one of her hands from under Lute’s shirt, grabbing onto her thigh, pulling her closer.
Vel left an open-mouthed kiss on the curve of her neck before biting at the spot, sucking a hickey into the skin. Lute slapped a hand over her mouth, biting back a needy sound in the back of her throat.
She pulled away from Lute’s neck to look at her. Vel’s hand retracted from her back, peeling her fingers away from her mouth.
“You’re too pretty to be silent like that, angel,” she mused, their fingers lacing together.
Lute kissed her, and it was all the colors of the sun. The edges of her mind were fuzzy, but she wasn’t sure if that was more from Vel or the whiskey.
Both, most likely.
This kiss was slower, needier than the last one. Vel pinned Lute’s hand to the wall beside her head, their fingers still laced together. Every touch lingered in Lute’s mind like an echo, imprinting on the memory.
Alcohol had a habit of making her forget, but this, she’d remember.
“Alright, you two, out.”
Vel and Lute’s lips separated at the interruption, both of their heads turning for the source of the words.
Husk stood at the back door of the bar, staring at them with hands on his hips. A bar towel was slung over his shoulder, and he was only illuminated by the light coming out from the back of the establishment, dingy and flickering.
Lute felt the heat immediately rush to her face, managing to get her hand out from Vel’s grip and covering her face.
Shit, shit, shit, fuck-
“Oh, fuck off, Husk. Like you don’t do worse with Angeldust inside the bar.” Vel taunted.
Lute didn’t hear whatever retort the bartender grumbled out before the back door slammed shut, leaving the two of them alone again.
“You still with me, angel?”
Lute peeked out from behind her fingers, her gaze landing on Vel in front of her.
Vel, only illuminated by the orange-tinted streetlight a few yards away, highlighting the curves of her face and the brown of her eyes.
“Maybe we could take this party elsewhere,” she mused, tilting Lute’s chin up.
Alarm bells went off in her head as she blinked at Vel, processing the words.
Lute wasn’t stupid. Even when not sober, she knew better than that.
Don’t go home with strangers.
She paused before answering. “Maybe another time.”
Vel clicked her tongue. “Smart one, too.” she pulled back to dig through her purse before pulling out her phone and unlocking it, holding it out to Lute. “I’ll make sure to text you, then.”
She took the phone, which was already opened to the Contacts app, and typed in her number, labeling it with her name before handing it back.
Vel grinned, winking at Lute. “See you around, angel.”
And then she was gone. Turned out of the alleyway, somewhere down the street.
…She needed to call Emily.
Fuck.