The bar had been their usual haunt for years. The low hum of conversation, the scent of stale beer, and the crackling sound of pool balls colliding filled the space. It was the kind of place where regulars knew each other by name, or at least by reputation. Tonight, though, the atmosphere carried an edge of tension, one that had been building for weeks.

Val sat at the bar, her gloved fingers wrapped around a half-empty glass of whiskey. She wasn't the type to start fights without a reason, but right now, she had plenty of them. Her dark brown eyes flicked across the room, locking onto Reina, who lounged against the pool table with her usual smug expression. The younger woman swirled a glass of something far too expensive for this place, her golden-brown eyes glinting with amusement. Val knew that look—Rei was itching to get under her skin.

"You got something to say, or are you just gonna sit there looking like a damn Cheshire cat?" Val asked, her voice low and gravelly over the bar noise.

Reina's lips curled into a smirk, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass before she tilted her head, feigning innocence.

"Me? Nah. Just enjoying the show, hermana."

Val's grip tightened around her glass. She hated when Rei called her that—mostly because it always came right before she did something reckless. And sure enough, Rei's gaze drifted toward the bar, where a certain familiar face sat, oblivious to the brewing storm.

"Though, I gotta say, it's kinda funny watching you act all territorial over a guy who probably doesn't even know your name."

Val's jaw tensed. She didn't have to turn to know exactly who Rei was talking about. The quiet guy who always took the same seat, ordered the same drink, and somehow managed to exist just outside of their world. She had noticed him, of course—so had Rei. He was hard to ignore, even if neither of them had ever spoken to him directly. But hearing Rei say it out loud, like this, made something simmer beneath her skin.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

Rei laughed, pushing off the pool table and sauntering closer, the golden chain on her jacket glinting under the bar lights.

"Don't I? C'mon, Val, you think I haven't seen the way you keep an eye on him? The way you get all stiff when I so much as look in his direction?" She leaned in, voice dropping to a low, teasing whisper. "Face it, big sis. You got it bad."

Val scoffed, taking a slow sip of whiskey before slamming the glass down a little harder than necessary. The sound echoed against the wood, drawing a few glances from nearby patrons. Rei, of course, was unfazed.

"You're full of shit."

"Am I? Then why do you look like you're about to knock me flat just for bringing him up?"

Val exhaled sharply through her nose, pushing herself off the barstool. She wasn't going to let Rei drag her into this nonsense. Not here. Not now. But just as she turned to walk away, Rei laughed again, loud and deliberate, like she was daring Val to react.

"Or maybe..." She paused, tapping her chin as if considering something outrageous. "Maybe I should go say hi to him myself."

That did it.

In the blink of an eye, Val was in Rei's face, her fingers gripping the front of the blonde's jacket. The whole bar seemed to still as the tension crackled between them, their noses nearly touching. Neither backed down, both daring the other to make the first move.

"You do that, and I swear to god, I'll make sure you regret it."

Rei's smirk widened, her voice sickly sweet. "Oh? What are you gonna do, Val? Tell him how you feel? Or just keep pretending like he doesn't exist while you glare daggers at me for breathing in his direction?"

Val's eye twitched. Damn it, Rei knew exactly which buttons to push. Before she could snap back, a chair scraped against the floor behind them. Someone shifting. Someone too close. Their argument had caught the attention of the one person they hadn't wanted involved.

They turned in unison, locking eyes with him.

Shit.