REINA
We paid, laughed our way out of the counter, and headed toward the restrooms before leaving. Tessa needed to fix her lipstick; I just needed to pee.
As we reached the corridor, Tessa suddenly stopped short.
"Wait! Dammit, I left my purse at the counter!"
I sighed, half amused. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. Go ahead, I’ll be right back," she said, spinning on her heel. "Go on in, don’t wait for or you’re going to pee on yourself."
"Okay." I pushed open the restroom door and stepped inside.
The air was cool and slled faintly of different kinds of feminine perfus. A few stalls, a long counter, one woman washing her hands before leaving. I went into a stall, locked it, and took a mont to breathe.
Finally... quiet. My ears still rang faintly from the boutique’s music, that pulsing electro beat that made everything feel too loud, too bright. I leaned against the partition for a second, just letting my heartbeat settle.
Then I heard it,
The sound of the door creaking open again.
Footsteps. Slow. asured.
I figured Tessa had co in, so I called softly, "Tess?"
No reply.
Just the click of heels echoing against the tiles.
A chill crawled up my spine. I frowned and shifted slightly, peeking through the narrow gap in the stall door.
Black shoes. Polished. Too big to be Tessa’s. The kind of shoes you only wear to impress—or intimidate.
The steps ca closer, unhurried. Whoever it was didn’t belong here in female stalls.
My pulse spiked. I stayed still, barely daring to breathe.
The footsteps stopped right outside my stall.
The handle twitched once.
My breath caught. "Occupied," I said quickly, forcing a laugh that ca out thin and shaky.
Silence.
Then,
A low male voice. Rough. Confident.
"I know."
Every drop of air left my lungs.
I stumbled backward, hitting the toilet seat. My fingers trembled as I grabbed the lock, but before I could secure it tighter, sothing tallic scraped against it.
A click. Then another.
And just like that—the latch snapped open.
The door swung wide.
He filled the fra like a shadow co to life, he man from earlier. The one who’d watched in the boutique mirror. That sa dark suit. That sa smirk that felt like a hand crawling over my skin.
His cologne hit first—strong, musky, expensive. The kind of scent that made you choke before you could breathe.
"Hey, beautiful," he said, stepping closer. "Didn’t think I’d see you alone this soon."
I froze, my mind blank with disbelief. "What the hell—get out!"
"Relax," he drawled, eyes sliding down my body. "I just wanna talk."
My heart thudded so loud it drowned out everything else. "In a won’s restroom?"
He chuckled, low and cruel. "Privacy’s nice, don’t you think?"
I shoved at him, panic sparking like static in my chest. "Don’t touch !"
He caught my wrist before I could move away. His grip was like iron, fingers pressing deep into my skin.
"Don’t be like that, sweetheart." He grinned, licking his lips like a creep.
"Let go!" I twisted, trying to pull free, but he only leaned in closer. His breath ghosted over my cheek.
"Just a minute, huh? You looked lonely out there." He hissed, eyes were on my boobs.
"You’re insane! Fucking let go!" My voice cracked, half from fear, half from fury.
He grinned wider, eyes glinting. "God, I like them feisty."
I kicked at him—hard—but he caught my leg before I could land another hit, shoving back into the stall wall. Pain shot up my arm where it hit the tal. My knees buckled.
"Don’t make hurt you," he said quietly, all amusent gone now. His face was inches from mine, his voice a low hiss. "I just want a taste of these beautiful cherries on your chest. They looked so ripe and ready to be savoured."
A sound tore from my throat—half sob, half scream. But it ca out weak, swallowed by the thick air and my own terror. My mind was screaming move, but my body wouldn’t listen.
Then, the door banged open.
"Reina?"
It was Tessa’s voice—sharp, angry, unmistakable.
The man froze. He turned just as she stord in, her eyes blazing like wildfire.
"Oh, hell no," she said, yanking sothing from her bag.
Before I could even blink, she sprayed him right in the face.
He scread, stumbling back, clutching his eyes. "AH—what the!"
The sharp, chemical sting of pepper spray hit the air instantly, burning my throat.
"That’s for touching my friend, you pervert!" Tessa shouted, spraying him again for good asure.
He staggered blindly toward the door, swearing, his voice breaking with pain. "You! You little bitch!"
"Try again, asshole!" Tessa snapped.
I stared, frozen for a second, then she grabbed my hand. "Co on, Rei!"
We bolted out of the restroom, our heels hitting against the tiled floor. Laughter burst out of , not because it was funny, but because I didn’t know what else to do. Adrenaline had replaced every thought in my head.
Behind us, the man’s curses echoed down the corridor, muffled and furious.
We didn’t stop until we were outside, stumbling out into the cool evening air. The city lights shimred off the glass storefronts, and I bent over, gasping for breath. My heart was still hamring against my ribs like it was trying to escape.
"Holy shit," I wheezed.
Tessa’s mascara was smudged, her lipstick slightly sared, but her grin was victorious. "Did you see his face?!"
"I thought you were insane," I panted, "but that was, oh my God, Tessa!"
She laughed, tossing her hair back. "No one sses with my girl."
I looked at her, really looked at her. The wild fire in her eyes, the way her hands still shook a little even though she tried to play it cool. That was Tessa for you. Terrified, furious, and brave all at once.
"Thank you," I whispered. "Thank you very much, Tess."
Her expression softened. "Don’t thank . Just promise next ti you’ll scream instead of trying to reason with a creep."
"I panicked," I admitted. My voice was small. "He, when he locked eyes with earlier at the boutique. I thought it was just a look, you know? I didn’t think..."
"Hey." She squeezed my hand, grounding . "Don’t bla yourself. So people don’t need a reason to be disgusting."
I nodded slowly, swallowing hard. The scent of jasmine still clung faintly to my hair, mixing with the sting of pepper spray and fear. I felt hollow and alive at once.
"Yeah, and I saved your ass," she said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. "Again."
I managed a smile. "You really are crazy."
"The fun kind," she said, linking her arm through mine. "Now let’s go get boba. You definitely need one after that."
I laughed weakly. "You don’t think we should just head back? What if we et soone like him again?"
"If not," she said, holding up her purse with a wicked little grin, "I’ve got more pepper spray. Maybe a keychain knife too. Depends how much trouble we find."
I stared at her for a mont, then burst out laughing. "You’re unbelievable."
"Thank you," she said, mock bowing.
We walked across the street, heading towards the tea shop—cars honking, people talking, music spilling out of bars. Everything felt clearer, louder, like the world had sharpened after what just happened.
Our reflections flashed in the windows of the parked cars as we passed—two girls still laughing, trying to forget how close things got.
I squeezed her arm. "You know," I said quietly, "I have always been grateful to have you as a friend."
She arched a brow. "Because of the creep?" Tessa smirked. "Girl, don’t be too shaken. The world is already too fucked we’d be dood if we don’t et people like that."
"No," I said, smiling faintly. "Because, it’s just that you always make feel like I matters."
Her grin softened into sothing gentler. "Of course you are, Rei."
We turned the corner together, smiling as we continued walking hand-in-hand. And God, how much I missed this.
And I thought, maybe survival wasn’t always about fighting alone.
Sotis, it was about having soone who’d walk into the fire with you—and spray pepper right in the face of your oppressors.
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