Beneath his Ruins

. Her voice barely carried past her seat-lost beneath the pu

ashing lights, and a suffocating haze of fine scen

her r

her to flinch-but not the bartender. Her limbs were

g her get the bartender's attention. He wa

of silence he found within the chaos. He liked the blur of it al

his hand. "That drink either says, 'I'm fully aware-I kno

ifting the glass of Negroni and ta

ething strong like a Manhattan-'everything's fine, but I'm unraveling inside.' Or an Amaro Spritz, if you'r

ly, voice low and dry. "Who ma

d with a soft laugh

more curious now. "So

beat-then looked away, letting out an uninteres

t mostly-I know

p enough to finally catch

water, no sugar," she sai

he bartender replied

esitate. She turned to Martino,

emember today... I'm

e- she downed it i

way down her throat. The burn didn't stop there-it spread

and leaned in slightly, voic

e said with a sneer, as

ching his attention with a tilt of her

d, her gaze fixed on Martino,

ffering nothing in return-just sil

ll by yourself... it has to be a 'she' issue." Her

ly wanted was to finish his drink and go home to face the chaos waiting in h

inally answering wit

he' issue?" he asked, e

a club. I'm just..

erested-meant to close th

bodies moving under the winking lights. Her gaze fell on

s giving off 'everything's falling

eyes shif

ether on the outside, but in

ut a soft

saying something with how t

o the bar as the barten

ena said, almost like she was giving a quiet le

ow, his eyes dark and steady,

id, his voice low and deliberate. "So te

im completely. Her voice dropped, lace

he said. "And you can pr

nd. Distracted, his gaze dropped-

lways had a t

t any l

ly contained by he

b lights, he could see t

ping her off her dress with his

ips curled into something be

t amused, " unless you're trying to

the first time, she saw something flicker in h

h to dim the space betwe

demons... I don't think you

, eyes locked on his, letting the tensi

ath, allowing a faint smi

stracted, he rolled up the sleeves of his

ough to recognize the scent of som

his voice dropping

ou're observing the world from a glass wall.

ers, there was no arrog

of honesty, don't tease me if y

of his Negroni, s

er wrist from behind, she didn't even register the grip bef

Good-because that's the last drin

Tight. Th

leavin