"You look pale, bro. What's wrong?" I asked Marcus as he leaned against the wall of my apartment, his arms crossed but his posture relaxed, almost too calm for someone who hadn't slept in days.
"Guess I never slept for five days," he replied, his eyes dark-rimmed but his body flawless. No surprise—he never skipped his gym and boxing classes. His black Tom Ford Suit made him look dominant without him trying. Every subtle movement screamed strength and control, from the broad shoulders to the way his shoes clicked against the floor. And his dark-brown siren eyes, glowing faintly under the dim light, only added to his presence.
I ran a hand through my hair, hesitating. "Umm… I'm going to go to Julie's place tonight, so…"
"So what?" Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking like I'd just tried to hide a secret from him.
"I'm not available for the drink tonight. Sorry, bro."
Marcus chuckled. "Julie this, Juliet that. Who said we can't have a drink at her place?" He grabbed his bag, slinging it over one shoulder. "Come on, we're going."
I groaned. "Wait, I gotta reply to this text first." I pulled out my phone and typed quickly:
𝓜𝓮: 𝓙𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓮, 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝔂. 𝓖𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰
𝓙𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓽: 𝓦𝓱𝓸???
𝓜𝓮: 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓾𝓼
𝓙𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓽: 𝓘𝓯 𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓫𝓸𝓻𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓭
𝓜𝓮: 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 "𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰" 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽?
𝓙𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓽: 𝓘𝓯 𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓲𝓽 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂
𝓜𝓮: 𝓐𝓻𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝔀?
𝓙𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓽: 𝓝𝓸, 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵'𝓼 𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵𝓼
𝓜𝓮: 𝓞𝓴𝓪𝔂. 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓲𝓶 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼
𝓙𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓽: 𝓞𝓴𝓪𝔂. 𝓑𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓯𝓮
I slipped the phone into my pocket and started the engine of my Hennessey Venom, the growl vibrating through my chest. Marcus' eyes lit up instantly at the sound, a grin tugging at his lips. "Man, that car… every time."
I smirked. "You'll get used to it." I shifted gears, and we merged into the crowded streets, the car's speed and handling reminding me of why I loved driving it.
"Wait—aren't we going to Juliet's house?" Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"She's hanging out with friends tonight," I said, keeping my voice calm. "She rescheduled."
Marcus laughed softly, leaning back. "Another lie. She doesn't want me there."
"Seems like she wants another trouble again," I muttered, steering around a cab.
We reached the bar, a familiar place with amber lights and low music. Marcus immediately claimed the corner booth. "This spot," he said, as if it had always been his.
I sat across from him, shaking my head. "You act like you own the world."
He smirked, leaning forward. "Maybe I do."
Our drinks arrived, and Marcus downed his first glass in one go. I chuckled, sipping slowly, trying to focus on the warmth rather than Juliet's messages flashing in my mind: "If he is coming, it can stay."
"Thinking about her, aren't you?" Marcus asked knowingly, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe," I admitted, and he grinned, that half-smile that always made him look like a king.
We talked, laughed, teased each other, the kind of banter only best friends share. But no matter how loud the bar got, my mind kept circling back to Juliet's words. The little spark of curiosity, worry, and… something else I wasn't ready to name, flickered persistently.