𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭, 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞

𝟑: 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫

Tonight was the night of Bruce Wayne's fundraiser for Gotham's new District Attorney, Harvey Dent. Bruce had been generous enough to invite Noa, and, much to Cassandra's surprise, he extended the invitation to Anthony as well. It wasn't that Anthony and Bruce were close—quite the opposite. Cassandra could tell by the way Bruce had smirked that day that this was all part of some playful game. Bruce knew Anthony was wasn't used to the glitz and glamour of Gotham's elite, and Cassandra suspected he had invited him just for a laugh.

Despite the distraction of Bruce's antics, Cassandra's thoughts kept drifting back to her recent encounter with Batman. His voice, deep and serious, had warned her not to get too involved in trying to figure out who he really was. She had promised him she wouldn't, but the curiosity gnawed at her. Could she really let it go? He was a mystery that seemed to be infiltrating her every thought, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She had resisted the temptation to turn on the Bat-Signal again, and Noa, her best friend, had been glad to see her put the chalkboard and conspiracy theories away for a while. But even with that resolve, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being drawn to him, like a moth to a flame.

But tonight, Cassandra had decided she was going to put all of that out of her mind. Noa had spent the morning dragging her around town, shopping for a new dress for the event. The one they had settled on was far more revealing than anything Cassandra would typically wear. The deep emerald fabric clung to her figure, with a neckline that dipped just a bit lower than she was used to.

"I don't know about this," Cassandra said, standing in front of the mirror, scrutinizing her reflection.

Noa grinned from behind her. "You look stunning. Trust me, if Bruce doesn't notice, someone will."

Cassandra sighed, running her hands down the smooth fabric of the dress. "Maybe I should just stay home," she muttered, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

Noa immediately stepped in, shaking her head. "No way. You are coming to this party. Your best friend is hosting, and you're not going to sit here overthinking everything like you always do."

"I know, I know. I just—" Cassandra started, but the buzz of her phone cut her off. She reached over to the nightstand, picking it up and reading the message on the screen.

"Is this like a black-tie kind of party or casual?" Anthony's text read, and Cassandra couldn't help but chuckle.

"Who's that?" Noa asked, already leaning over her shoulder.

"Just Anthony," Cassandra replied.

Noa raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Jones? Since when do you two text?"

Cassandra shrugged nonchalantly. "It's only been a week or so. He wanted to know what to wear to Bruce's party."

"Wait. You invited Anthony to Bruce's party?" Noa asked, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.

"Not exactly. We ran into Bruce after patrol the other night, and Bruce invited him," Cassandra explained.

Noa frowned, visibly confused. "Why would Bruce invite Anthony? That seems...odd."

Cassandra didn't have a good answer. "I have no idea. Maybe he's just messing with him."

Noa snickered. "Weird. Especially because Anthony clearly has a thing for you."

Cassandra's eyes widened. "What? No, he doesn't."

"Oh, come on. The way he looks at you? The way he smiles whenever you're around? He's totally into you," Noa said, her tone teasing yet firm.

Cassandra shook her head. "Not every guy finds me attractive, Noa."

Noa crossed her arms, giving her a knowing look. "Cassie, trust me. I may be your lesbian best friend, but I know when someone's attracted to you. Anthony and Bruce? Both are."