The two men closed in fast, boots loud against the cracked pavement. They weren't smiling. Their eyes stayed locked on Serena like she was prey wandering into the wrong fucking alley.
Aria's smirk didn't move. She flicked her cigarette into the gutter, grinding it out with her boot like she had all the time in the world.
"Relax, princess," she murmured. "They're just curious."
"Curious looks a hell of a lot like trouble," Serena snapped, her pulse hammering.
"Same thing in Ashveil."
The taller man stopped just a few feet away, eyes darting between them. "Who's this?"
Aria shrugged. "No one."
The word cut like a blade. Serena's stomach twisted, heat rushing up her chest. No one. That's what she was here. That's all she'd ever be in Aria's world.
The man grinned, flashing gold teeth. "Looks like someone. Looks expensive."
Serena's jaw tightened. She could feel her family's name sitting heavy on her shoulders, a target painted across her face. For once, she wished she was invisible.
Aria stepped in front of her, casual but sharp. "Back off. She's not yours to bother."
The men exchanged a look, then laughed. But they backed away, muttering something in low tones as they disappeared into the dark.
Serena exhaled, slow, forcing her shoulders to drop. "Fuck. They knew me."
"Everyone knows you," Aria said flatly. "That's your curse."
Serena bristled. "And what's yours?"
Aria's eyes flicked back to her, steady, unreadable. "Knowing exactly what to do with a girl like you."
The air cracked between them.
Serena stepped closer before she even realized she was moving. "You called me no one," she said, voice sharp, shaking more than she wanted.
Aria's mouth curved into that infuriating smirk. "Because you're not mine."
Serena's hand shot out, grabbing Aria's jacket, yanking her close. "You think you can just—"
Her words were cut off. Aria's mouth crashed into hers, hot, hard, unrelenting.
It wasn't sweet. It wasn't careful. Teeth clashed. Serena gasped, and Aria swallowed the sound like it belonged to her. Serena's back hit the cold brick wall, Aria's hands pinning her there, one gripping her wrist, the other sliding rough across her waist.
Serena should've shoved her off. She should've remembered her father's threats, her uncle's warnings. Instead, her lips parted, desperate, her tongue meeting Aria's in a clash that burned through every wall she'd ever built.
"Fuck," Serena whispered against her mouth. "I hate you."
"Liar," Aria muttered, teeth grazing her lower lip before she bit down just enough to make Serena gasp again.
Serena's fingers twisted in Aria's braids, yanking, pulling her closer instead of pushing her away. The kiss deepened, raw and hungry, as if both of them had been starving for years and finally decided to eat.
Aria's hand slid under Serena's coat, palm hot against silk. Serena's body arched against her without permission, heat flooding through her veins.
She hated it. She wanted more.
"Say it," Aria breathed against her mouth. "Say you want this."
Serena's head spun. Every instinct screamed to deny it, to shut it down, but the word tore free anyway, low and ragged: "Yes."
Aria's grin was wicked, dangerous. "Good girl."
Her hand squeezed Serena's waist harder, dragging a moan she tried to bite back. The sound made Aria's eyes darken, hunger flashing.
Serena's world shrank to the press of bodies, the scrape of brick against her back, the taste of smoke and sin on Aria's tongue.
Then—voices.
The same men from before, back at the corner. Their laughter carried. Too close. Too fucking close.
Aria broke the kiss suddenly, breath ragged, forehead pressed to Serena's.
"Not here," she hissed.
Serena's hands clenched in her jacket. "Then where—"
Aria shoved her back lightly, smirk curling even as her chest rose fast. "Careful, princess. You keep chasing me, you're gonna burn everything you have."
Serena's voice cracked, raw. "And if I don't?"
Aria's eyes held hers for one sharp, endless second. Then she turned, walking away into the dark like nothing had happened.
Serena pressed back against the wall, lips swollen, chest aching.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to chase her.
Instead, she whispered, "Fuck," and realized she already had.