Chaotic Love

le's

to tech bros and broken dreams at two in the morning, I probably would've laughed i

hum of conversation, casting flickering red shadows over the worn

shirt, sneakers with a hole in the toe, and jeans that

eone shouts, shoving a twent

one that says I'll pretend to like you if you tip well and grab a

oving automatically. Pour. Smile. Nod. Pretend you

..you know, mentor you." Sure, Chad. Let me just quit my

have dream

h the cracks. But dreams don't pay rent. Dreams don't erase student loans the size of small countries. Dreams definitely don't help when your foster sister, Lila, calls cryin

voice slurs, snapping his fingers

I'm surprised they don'

ssary. "Not babe. Not sweetie. Not honey. Try using your adult words next time."

the bar from her stool. She's working the late shift at the tattoo shop down

und a mouthful of nachos. I snort. "Please. Tony's not firin

. Talk to me after midnight when the tequila s

eels...foreign. Like trying on an

of bad music, bad tips, and e

r anyone to notice the quiet l

n good at

think about the engagement ring s

when someone says the w

ng at the ceiling, wondering what's

t with a dog, maybe a kid on the way. Instead, I'm serving drinks to me

ing me at the altar was probably

o marry a m

arting a fight over darts." I sigh and grab a towel, ready to play re

I don't re

ie pulled low over his face, ha

like he doesn't want to touch t

hen one of the drunk tech bros lunges at a waitress, grabbing h

a

ort

e it a hundre

he says, voice

laughs and s

mo

s the man's wrist and maneuvers him t

Who the

odie Guy dodges easily, but the second swing cat

I blame pure ins

nk, grabbing the half-empty beer mug off the nearest

and crashes onto a nearb

ust do silence.Everyone stares at me. At the b

for me to catch a glimpse of his face. Sharp cheekbon

Holy hell. He's not just

dly fa

lmost smiling. I blink a

. Calculating. Like he's memorizing me. The

begin with. I stand there, heart hammering against my r

"Girl, you just assaulted someone...and possib

lly, tossing the broken mug into the

l my eyes and head back to the bar, trying and failin

in my miserable, chaotic life. But deep down, in the

sp

arn

his

ng to see

hen y

ll ever be