You're Mine

The bass thumped through the bar like a second heartbeat, vibrating through the floor, the stools, the glasses lined up along the counter. Lights flickered in uneven bursts, purple, blue, gold, red casting everyone in shifting shadows that made everything feel a little less real, a little more reckless. It was the kind of place where people lost track of time. 

Y/n sat at the bar, one elbow resting lazily against the counter as he rotated his glass in slow circles. The ice clinked softly, barely audible over the music. He hadn’t checked the time in a while. There wasn’t much point. Nights like this followed a pattern he already knew by heart.

Y/n glanced over at his friend, Johnny, lowering his voice just enough to be heard over the music. “Hey… thanks for keeping the ring at your place.” 

Johnny’s head turned immediately, brows lifting. “Yeah, no problem,” he said, a grin already forming. He leaned in closer, “When are you gonna do it?” 

Y/n huffed quietly, looking back down at his drink for a second before glancing out toward the dance floor. 

Asa. 

Right in the middle of it, laughing, spinning, dragging her friends around like she had endless energy. Slightly off-beat, slightly reckless, completely herself. 

His expression softened without him realizing. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Soon.” 

Johnny followed his gaze, spotting her almost instantly. “Soon,” he repeated, amused. “That helpful, huh?” 

Y/n smirked faintly. “I’m serious.” 

“I know you are,” Johnny said, nudging his shoulder lightly. “You’ve been serious for, what, three years now?” 

“Three years,” Y/n confirmed. 

Johnny let out a low whistle. “Moved in together after one year of dating, You have 2 cats named Milo and Oreo. Damn. You’re locked in.” 

Y/n didn’t even hesitate. “Yeah.” There was no uncertainty in it. 

No second-guessing. Johnny studied him for a second, the teasing easing just slightly into something more genuine. “Are you nervous?” 

Y/n exhaled slowly, eyes still on Asa. “…Not about her saying no.” 

Johnny snorted. “Yeah, she’d probably propose back out of spite if you took too long.” 

That got a quiet laugh out of Y/n. “I just want it to be right,” he said after a moment. “Not rushed. Not… random.” 

Johnny nodded, surprisingly understanding. “So not tonight, then?” he gestured vaguely at the chaos around them. 

Y/n glanced around, the flashing lights, the shouting, the packed dance floor, then back at Asa, who was currently laughing so hard she almost fell over. “…No,” he said, a small smile pulling at his lips. “Definitely not tonight.” 

“Good,” Johnny said. “Because if you dropped the ring in this place, it’s gone forever.” Y/n shook his head, amused, taking another sip of his drink.

His eyes drifted, unfocused at first, before landing, again, on the dance floor. 

Asa. 

She was right in the middle of it, like she always ended up. Surrounded by her friends, laughing too loud, moving without any real rhythm but somehow still fitting perfectly into the chaos. 

Her hair stuck slightly to her face, her smile wide and unfiltered, and every now and then she’d throw her head back like nothing else existed. Y/n exhaled quietly, the corner of his mouth lifting. 

Three years. 

Three years of knowing exactly how she got when she drank. Three years of late-night walks home, of her stealing his hoodie even though they literally shared a closet, of arguing over what to watch and then falling asleep before finishing anything anyway. Three years of knowing exactly how the night would go. 

Three years of a life that didn’t feel temporary anymore.

She’d dance until she was exhausted, get a little too tipsy, cling to him on the way home, and fall asleep halfway through whatever movie they put on in their shared apartment, or if the night went in a different direction, it would end with both of them between the sheets. It went that way more than once. And he wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

He took a sip from his drink, eyes still on her. She spun once, nearly knocking into someone, laughed it off, grabbed one of her friends’ hands, and pulled them back into the mess of bodies and music. 

“You look bored.” The voice came from his right. He turned his head, eyes landing on a girl leaning casually against the bar. Confident posture, easy smile, like she’d already decided how this interaction was supposed to go. 

He made eye contact with Johnny across from him.

“I’m not,” he said simply. 

“Really?” she said, tilting her head. “Because you’ve been sitting here alone for a while.” 

“I’m waiting.” 

“For?” she asked, stepping just a little closer. 

Y/n didn’t answer immediately. His eyes flicked back to the dance floor, scanning, There. Asa. But this time, she wasn’t laughing. She wasn’t dancing. She was looking directly at him. Or more specifically, At the girl beside him.

Y/n let out a small breath through his nose. Of course. “For my girlfriend, Whom I love,” he said, turning back. His tone was calm, easy, but firm in a way that didn’t invite misunderstanding. 

The girl raised a brow, glancing around. “I don’t see her.” 

“She sees you,” he replied. 

The girl let out a small laugh, like she thought he was joking, but then she followed his gaze. 

And her expression shifted. Because Asa was already moving. Not weaving this time, walking straight through people, pushing past shoulders, ignoring the calls from her friends behind her. 

Slightly unsteady, sure, but focused. 

Y/n straightened a little on his stool, setting his glass down. He wasn’t worried. Not really. Because after three years, there wasn’t much left to question between them. No doubt. No insecurity that lingered long enough to matter. 

But Asa? Asa felt things loudly. And right now, she was feeling something. 

The girl beside him shifted awkwardly, suddenly aware she’d stepped into something she didn’t understand. 

And then Asa was there. 

No hesitation. 

Her hand came up fast, gripping his jaw, turning his face toward her. And then she kissed him. Hard. It wasn’t gentle or careful, it was intense, sudden, and just a little uncoordinated. 

Enough that his balance tipped, the barstool wobbling beneath him. “Woah–” He caught himself, hands instinctively finding her waist, steadying both of them. His grip tightened slightly as he grounded himself, and her. It took him half a second to register what she was doing.