l u c a s !!
ellingham was small. a fact lucas was well aware of when he flew in – but the more time he spent there, the more space seemed to contract. sitting there, in the dimly lit bar, with laughter and the clattering of billiards as the soundtrack to his evening, lucas was all too aware of the brunette at the bar. whether or not he wanted to be, his attention and body was in tune to her; aware when she laughed at something the bartender said, when she shifted on the barstool his peripherals. he wrote it off on the weight of her stare keeping him locked in, on the heat of the alcohol burning through his system. when his company rose to step away for a moment, he almost expected esme to slide in next. maybe because it’s what he would have done.
when she speaks, her remarks feel like a dare, and lucas has never been the type to back down from a challenge. bemusement toys at his lips – one corner tugging up into the whisper of a grin as he leans forward. “ a compliment before she rags on me. are you this charming with everyone, esme, or am i just lucky ? ” slender digits reach for his glass, the lowball hanging loosely in his grasp as he takes a drink. “ been watching me, huh ? then tell me what you’d do differently. ” a smile that he doesn’t let reach his lips sparks in dark irises, as he raises an eyebrow curiously. your ball, vidal.
Esme tilted her head to the side as she smiled at Lucas. A smile so fake it was probably ridiculous, but she didn’t care. The man sitting beside her had a way to get on her nerves that no one else could come close to reaching, and yet she still, time and time again, found herself seeking him out. Just like tonight.
“I keep my real charm for decent people with real jobs. Not beer pong champions masquerading as doctors,” she said, slightly regretting it afterward. She could have come up with something much better, but fuck. He made her feel so unsettled, it was like she lost all her insulting skills. Still, she acted like she was proud of what she had said, not wanting him to sense some sort of weakness in her or whatever.
“Hard not to watch when you’re making such a fool of yourself, unfortunately,” she answered, trying not to feel so attracted to him. Who gave him the right to look this good raising an eyebrow? Was this some sort of punishment the world was giving her? Making an asshole she couldn’t stand look so good? “First of all, I don’t need to do much to attract people, personally. However, I guess you do need my help, so... First, if I were you, I’d stop being such a dick in general. That can be quite the turnoff for some girls. Then, I’d wear something cuter. I get that you’re stuck in a doctor coat or whatever they’re called all day, but that doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice fashion just because of your job. Finally, I’d whisper things into her ear you couldn’t even dream of.”
