this isn’t the kind of place riley ever pictures herself walking into. all cracked wood paneling and cowboy kitsch, the sharp clack of pool balls hitting like gunshots, and that thick, unmistakable wave of sweat, smoke, and sapphic tension slamming into her the second she crosses the threshold. the kind of bar that smells like sweet booze, cheap cologne, and pheromones. it's not her scene, which makes it all the more fun. something about walking into a place that doesn't know her, doesn't expect her, makes her heels hit harder and her spine straighten just so. she's a hot pink bruise against the bar’s dive color palette, all curves and gloss and perfume, enough to snap every neck in a five foot radius. even toned down — no glitter, no silk — she’s impossible to miss. too polished. too soft. too intentional. and she likes it that way. she wants to be looked at. wants them to wonder what the hell someone like her is doing in a place like this. the jukebox groans out something slow and dirty while her heels tack across the sticky floor. it smells like pool velvet and overpoured vodka, and if she had a pulse, it'd be thudding in her throat. she scans the crowd — mullets, pixie cuts, combat boots and crooked grins — until her gaze lands on her. cee. tall. lanky. shoulders deliciously broad. the kind of body riley wants to press up against until it breaks. her lips curl before she can stop them, glossed and parted in a quiet but coquettish “hi” from across the bar. a giggle slips free, breathy and sweet, the kind that tastes like artificial strawberry. she bites her lower lip, lets it drag slow between her teeth as cee comes closer. riley tilts her head, curls spilling over her shoulder like something rehearsed. the smile she gives is all teeth and heat. “fancy meetin’ you here,” she purrs, letting her gaze travel down cee’s body and back up again — slow. deliberate. unbothered. hungry. she already knows how this night’s going to end. it’s just a matter of how wild they can get before someone kicks them out.