Seven

"Fuck it!" She exclaimed when she walked out to the street, kicking an old trash can to let out some frustrations. 

She hated job hunting, it was exhausting and who knew what hole she was going to end up in, she has had some terrible jobs over the years and she didn't want to go there again.

She sighed heavily as she walked to the bus stop to go home, thinking she could do this. It wasn't the first struggle in her life and it wasn't in her nature to just give up, she just had to grit her teeth and fight like she always did.

She came home and ate something, but then she got too restless and thought that she could really use a drink tonight, but she wasn't in the mood for sipping beer all alone in her apartment, so she impulsively decided to go out. 

She thought about calling June , but it was a weekday and she didn't want to bother her friend; she had no one else to go with Ezra wasn't home either so she decided to go alone.

She put on some jeans and a slightly big sweater and sneakers, grabbed her wallet, keys and phone and went out. 

She walked through the neighborhood, contemplating where she should go, not really in the mood for some stall. She wanted somewhere loud and lively so a bar or a club was a better option.

She was walking higher and higher until he got at the edge of the neighborhood. She bit her lip when she looked up, knowing that she was officially crossing the invisible border of the Hellhole and even though there was a small voice in her head warning him to not go there alone, another part of her was really curious . 

She wanted to see the legendary neighbourhood, she was sure that it wasn't anything she hasn't seen and that he couldn't handle, she was from Horizon for fuck's sake and she spent quite a lot of time in the shadiest parts of the city there.

She continued walking and spotted a promising looking bar. Or was it a club? He wasn't really sure, but it looked quite lively from the outside. 

There were a few small groups of young people on the sidewalk in front of the building and that alone told her that the place was surely full and that was what he needed right now.

"Hey, dude, do you have a smoke?" some guy yelled at him when she got closer. 

"No sorry, I don't smoke," She replied curtly but still politely.

"Then you surely have some money, no?" the guy insisted, stepping closer to Laura along with his two other friends.

 Laura wasn't feeling threatened, but she still felt slightly uneasy, already regretting his decision of coming here.

"I do have money but not for someone like you,"

She retorted with a hard gaze and slipped past the men, walking quickly inside the club, breathing out when she saw they didn't follow her.

She was pleased when she saw that the place was full, it wasn't overcrowded but there was loud music, some people dancing and others sitting at the bar or tables, drinking and chatting. That was exactly what she needed and she headed straight to the bar.

She got a shot, downing it in one go and then ordered another. When she just ordered the third one, someone stood by his side.

"I haven't seen you here before," a smooth voice said. She turned to look at the stranger,pleased that he was handsome.

"It's my first time here," Laura replied.

"You chose a great place then," the guy grinned: 

"What do you drink?"

They started chatting lightly and Laura suddenly thought that maybe a hook-up wasn't a bad idea. It wasn't in her plans when she walked out of her apartment tonight, but she had always been pretty spontaneous and if this guy was up for a fuck, she wouldn't really mind. It wouldn't be the first time for her to hook-up with a stranger in a club restroom or some back alley, she was no angel.

"Do you wanna dance?" She looked seductively at the man that introduced himself as Kenny , which was obviously some nickname, but She didn't care. He was quite handsome, a good material for careless hook-ups.

They went to the dance floor and laura did what she did best – flirting and luring the guy in, wrapping him around her finger, teasing him by pulling him in just to pull back after a while, making them chase each other.

They ended up dancing with their hands on each other and she knew that they had the same thoughts, it was very obvious that Kenny was up for some eventful night.

"Wanna get out of here?" Laura whispered in his ear when she got bored with the chase, feeling buzzing of alcohol and arousal under her skin. 

She hadn't even realized how much she missed sex until now, it's been at least four months since she got laid and had another human touch her and shr really needed it.

"Let's have one more drink," Kenny suggested with a smirk and Laura didn't protest. Hook- ups like these were always the best when he was slightly tipsy and didn't really have any boundaries.

They went back to the bar and placed their orders before Kenny excused himself to the restroom. Laura just waited, sipping on the beer she got since he was no longer in mood for shots. 

Her eyes were roaming over the crowd, it was interesting to watch people enjoying themselves, she has always loved clubbing, she just l didn't have time to really do it lately.

Her eyes moved to the entrance just when a group of young men walked in.

She nearly spat out her beer she just took a sip of when her gaze landed at the man at the front. This time he was absolutely sure that he wasn't tripping, maybe it wasn't Ezra on that motorcycle before, but now it was definitely him.

He looked slightly different though, it was mostly because of the clothes, Laura realized, because she usually saw him in sweatpants and hoodies, but his attire tonight was different.

 His legs were hugged by black skinny jeans with rips on knees and she had never noticed before how long and strong his neighbor's legs were. He was wearing heavy, black combat shoes, dark shirt and black leather jacket.

 His hair that was just usually falling in his eyes in light waves was now thrown to one side, revealing an undercut she never noticed before.

Even his features and eyes somehow looked sharper and different than usually, but that was probably due to the hairstyle that made his jaw and cheekbones stand out. Even his aura was somehow different, more confident, more powerful, more...dangerous.

Laura was utterly mesmerized that she forgot all about the guy she has been chatting and dancing

with for the past hour. 

She just couldn't stop staring at Ezra and after a while, their gazes met. Small smirk and intrigued look appeared on Ezra's face as he watched her across the room, he said something to the guys he came here with before he headed straight to her.

For whatever reason, Her heart started hammering in her chest and stood frozen in her place with Ezra approaching her like a prey.

"Hello, pretty," the dark haired man said with a crooked smile as he leaned against the bar next to him.

"Hi," Laura got out, forcing herself out of his trance: "Wouldn't expect to see you here."

"Oh?" the elder raised an eyebrow.

"You said you were gonna be in your hometown , did you already come back?"

"Oh, yeah, my hometown ," Ezra nodded nonchalantly: "Yeah, I came back earlier, wanted to visit it here."

"You said you don't come here anymore," Laura eyed him.

"Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, I am a mysterious man."

"I can see that," Laura looked him up and down, hinting at the new side of him.

"How about a drink?" Ezra said, suddenly raising his hand and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, making her nearly shiver.

"Yeah," Laura nodded like in trance and then added: "Do you like it? The new hair?"

"Looks great on you, makes you really stand out," Ezra hummed appreciatively before she turned to the bartender, called him by his name and ordered two shots. 

Laura could smell cigarettes and alcohol on him, it was clear that he had already drunk something tonight. 

She didn't even know that the elder smoked, but maybe he was just an occasional smoker when he went out like lots of people.

"Hey, I am back," someone suddenly said and tapped her shoulder. He turned around in confusion, nearly gasping when he saw Kenny , he already forgot about the guy.

"She has a different company now," Ezra said behind Laura.

"I talked to her first," Kenny replied before he looked behind her and his eyes widened.

"Did you say something?"Ezra asked in a quiet voice.

"N-nothing, I...I am just gonna go, sorry," the man stuttered and started backing up, nearly tripping over his own feet.

Laura watched him in confusion, what was all this about? When she turned back to Ezra , the elder was smiling at her.

"So, where were we? Ah " Ezra took the shot glasses and handed one glass to her and they both downed the drink. Laura was still confused about what just happened, but it was very easy to let it go when she was in Ezra's company. 

She was slightly upset that her potential hook-up took off, but something in the way Ezra was looking at her was telling her she might get another opportunity tonight and that filled her with excitement.