Manic [h.s]

#012

"You treat all the rules like you're the queen

But you and I are few and far between"

Ferrari | The Neighbourhood

February 02, 1999

IRIS XANDER

I take a seat on the stool in front of the counter in the bar, the dim lights casting a low glow. The crowd around me feel like they're closing in like I'm some kind of victim in an ambush. My hand instinctively pats my upper thigh to assure that I have the gun with me, just in case.

We're back at the Arrow Club, and somehow we ended up agreeing to move in here for a while. Strangely, I'm not feeling bothered by it, and that's what bothers me the most. They provided us with fake passports and IDs as promised. The materials, the letters, the numbers—almost everything is spot-on, except for our details. So now, they've changed my name to Maeve Harper.

We decided to pack only our clothes, leaving all our other belongings behind in our house that we couldn't bring ourselves to hand it over to the landlord, nor did we inform him about temporarily moving out. The man is incredibly stubborn and we know he'd flip if we did inform him. We couldn't risk losing the only place we had, especially since there is no guarantee that the theft would go exactly as planned. It's best if we're ready for any outcome.

Niall and I were given a single room to share, tucked behind one of the doors in the corridor. I was surprised to find rooms in this bar.

Looking around, I spot Dominic with his back turned to me, seemingly busy arranging the drinks. Finally, he turns around and takes in my presence. He saunters over, running one of his hands through his red hair.

"Look who showed up. Iris, isn't it?" he asks and I nod, leaning my elbows on the counter. "What do you want to drink tonight?" he asks, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Vodka sounds good to me," I reply and he nods, eyeing me up and down before turning around to grab what I asked for. Meanwhile, I look around the bustling crowd, searching for Niall. I wonder what he's up to. He said that he would be right back, but he never came back like he said he would.

It doesn't take long for Dominic to bring me the drink, placing the glass in front of me. He smiles and I lift my hand to grab the glass but he hooks his black-painted finger over the edge of the glass, not letting me.

"That'll be ten bucks," he says and I raise my eyebrows.

"Considering I work here, do I still have to pay?" I ask with a playful smile and he smirks in response.

"Maybe?" he says. With a firm grip on the glass, he walks around the counter, toward me. My eyes narrow as I try to figure out what he's up to. "You know, there are always other ways to pay," he suggests, stepping up behind me and finally releasing his grip on the glass. Placing both of his palms on the counter on either side of me, he cages me in.