(Return to other side, Same night)
(Vince POV)
The night had thinned by the time they stepped out of the bar.
The kind of quiet that settles not because the world is done, but because emotions have grown heavier than laughter.
Cold air kissed Vince's face as he loosened the top button of his shirt, exhaling slowly. Behind them, the faint music from inside pulsed like a heartbeat — but out here, under the dim parking lot lights, things felt sharper. Realer.
People began splitting off in pairs.
Steven and Michelle walked slightly ahead, too wrapped in their own world to notice anything else. Anthony and Jasmine lingered near their car, teasing each other over the bowling scores. Kate and Lara chatted quietly, their silhouettes soft in the glow.
And Jeff…
Jeff didn't leave.
He waited.
Vince noticed immediately.
He just pretended not to.
"You're Playing a Dangerous Game."
Jeff slipped his hands into his jacket pockets as he stepped closer, voice low, stripped of humour.
