Page 21 (1/2)

ThenHe’s watchingnoticed my examination of his tattoos

I save of eh me

Holy fuck I don’t even knohat to do with this

The ers aren’t random symbols They don’t spell out “love” and “hate” or some shit like that

They’re numbers

The ht I was shot

“Hey, Ayla!” Duke’s bark alivin’ me a hand over here? I’m sure your boyfriends can wait”

A flush creeps up ainst roup of rowdy girls who are clustered around his end of the bar—probably a bachelorette party or so to the three th of the bar to join Duke, getting to workManhattans and wine spritzers

Several of the girls gawk openly atcloser to peer at the stu about it, but I hardly pay attention

Because their gazes aren’t the ones I feel

Only three sets of eyes burnat the other end of the bar

Once the bachelorette party is taken care of, another wave of people co, pouring, and rinsing glasses

The prickling feeling on radually subsides, and a while later, I peek over at the three st the easily the way old friends do

They look different like this Marcus’s face is h Ryland’s features are still as hard as ever, there’s a glint of a Theo says

So inback on the drink I’ I can see so clearly in these three men Friendship Fa I a for Hell, I’ve never really had people I can sit down and have a fucking drink with