✧ big reputation ✧

Saffron didn’t even glance at the blonde he pointed out. Her eyes stayed on him. “Mm,” she hummed, unimpressed. “Why would you bother? You don't ever do anything with ass you've had in the past." At his comment about her noticing, she let out a soft, amused breath through her nose. “Oh, I notice everything,” she said bluntly, tilting her head slightly. “Doesn’t mean I care. Don’t confuse the two, it’s embarrassing.” When he lifted his shirt, her eyes dropped, slow, intentional, taking her time before dragging back up to his face. There was a pause, just long enough to feel like a reaction, before she smirked. “Cute,” she said flatly. “You still think lifting your shirt like a horny little teenager is your strongest asset. I can see you haven't changed a bit." At the mention of her tattoos, she glanced down at her arm, then back at him, completely unfazed. “If that’s what it takes for you to keep count, sure,” she said coolly. Then, after a beat, her gaze sharpened, dragging over him with a kind of deliberate scrutiny that felt almost like a challenge. “And you still lean in when you talk to me,” she added quietly. “Funny for someone who thinks he's got over me." She straightened just slightly in her seat, cradling the vodka in her hand. “Careful,” Saffron finished, her tone light but edged. “You’re starting to sound like you missed me and I'll break your ego down into little pieces because I'm not interested." Saffron’s attention snapped away from him without warning as she pulled out her phone, thumb moving quickly across the screen. A second later, a soft, genuine giggle slipped out, rare, unguarded, and gone almost as quickly as it came. She glanced up at him, that same sharp smile returning, but now there was something more self-satisfied in it. “I got me a good guy for once.” She tilted her head, smile curling a little meaner now. “Ten outta ten. Great in bed.” A pause, eyes flicking over him deliberately. “And, way bigger than you.”

hayes hadn't really changed over the years; he'd just evolved. he'd always had a way with words, always known how to charm people, and those blue-grey eyes of his seemed to have some inexplicable effect on girls. as far as he was concerned, people just had a thing for blue eyes, and he couldn't care less. “you really think i'm still into you?” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “girl, you wish.” it was practically his trademark. he'd spent months on a televised island with a microphone clipped to him twenty-four hours a day, flirting, kissing, causing drama, and if there was one thing viewers remembered, it was the way he'd roll his eyes whenever a girl tried to call him out. he simply didn't care. “the t-shirt move works,” he shrugged before leaning in just slightly, “and being some horny little teenager doesn't really fit my brand. i'd say the horny ones are the girls chasing after me.” he let the fabric fall from his fingers and took a step back from saffron. “oh, what? you think me leaning in to talk to you means i'm not over you?” he closed the distance again with an amused smirk. “princess, this means absolutely fucking nothing.” then he leaned back once more as though to prove his point. when she pulled out her phone, hayes rolled his eyes again. was she seriously trying to prove something? she could make whatever point she wanted; it didn't bother him. “a good guy?” he asked with a laugh. “what are you planning on doing, ruining him?” he knew saffron well enough to know she could overwhelm the wrong person without even trying. at her next comment, he gave another dismissive roll of his eyes. “bigger than me? that's cute. you've been comparing me to him.” he shrugged. “the thing is, i'm not sure your nerdy good boy is going to keep up with you.” there it was—that switch everyone knew he had. one second he was the charming reality TV heartthrob with endless confidence; the next, he could be brutally sharp. “don't get me wrong,” he said with a crooked smile. “you're intense as hell. and if you don't find someone who can match your energy, you're going to get bored of him.” he held her gaze for a beat. “and when that happens…” he shrugged, completely unfazed. “you'll come back to me. we both know that's exactly what's going to happen.”

Saffron had noticed him the second she walked in. Of course she had. Hayes had always been impossible to miss, leaning somewhere like the room belonged to him, the tattoos she'd given him catching the light like he’d positioned them that way on purpose. She took her time finishing the sip of her drink before looking over at him properly, letting her gaze drag slowly over the snake tattoo and the stupidly confident half-smile he was wearing. God, what a wanker. But her mouth curved anyway. “Is this the part where I’m meant to pretend you didn’t already see me walk in?” Saffron finally turned her head fully toward him, eyes sliding over him again in that deliberate, assessing way. “Still doing the mysterious bar lean, I see.” She gestured vaguely toward him with her glass. “Very brooding. Very tortured. Very pick me I'm that desperate." Her lips curved into a slow, playful smirk. “Unfortunately for you,” she added sweetly, “I already know you’re just a wanker with good lighting.” There was no real heat in it, just that familiar toxic hatefulness they’d always had, the kind that made it hard to tell if they were flirting or fighting. Saffron tipped her glass toward him in a mock toast. She leaned her elbow onto the bar then, resting her chin lightly against her knuckles while studying him with open amusement. “So,” she added, voice light but pointed, “which poor girl or guys life are you fucking up now?”

he hadn’t expected to see saffron there, but if he was honest, he was going to enjoy every second of it. they had a past, they were too similar to ever really work, and still, he loved having her around just to catch that spark she carried with her, he loved the messiness. "i wasn’t looking at you when you walked in," he pointed out, his hand holding his drink as he gestured toward a blonde across the bar, "i was checking that girl’s ass," he added with a smirk, taking a sip of his drink. "pick me? i don’t need to beg for people’s attention," he rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "but thanks for the description, i’m glad you still notice," he winked at her. "just a wanker? stop flirting with me, saffron, we broke up, get over it," he said, taking another sip, "even if it’s hard, have you seen me?" he lifted the hem of his tank top slightly, "too good to resist," he smirked. he leaned further against the counter, knowing their interaction had only just begun. "not fucking up anyone’s life, just got back from shooting," he added, "can’t promise i didn’t fuck someone’s life up back on the island, guess they couldn’t handle me," he shrugged. "i see more tattoos, one for each level of toxicity you’ve unlocked?" he smiled, leaning in slightly, "you wear it like a fragrance."

Rob Rausch for the Quinn App