FutureOlympian: Aww thank you. You're so sweet :) I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much

Guest: Thank you :) I'm also excited to write their relationship as it progresses

Leonor: Thank you :)

She leaned over the edge with a smile. It was a straight drop, a smooth wall of rock begging her to fall alongside it. Her hands draped over the edge, hoping to feel the slightest spray of water from the ocean. The constant beating of the waves against the land was like a siren's call. And who was she to resist?

Saniya backed against the side of the mansion. She had jumped well over twenty times by now. It would never get old.

She doubted that it ever would.

Her toes curled with anticipation. Every jump invoked a fresh excitement in her. So much so that she was nearly giddy. Saniya kicked into a full sprint. The edge was coming closer and closer until she could almost touch the railing.

The door to the balcony slammed shut. Then, she was knocked off her feet, right before she could jump. She opened her eyes and all she saw was blue.

She blinked at the cloudless sky in confusion.

"Are you alright?" the man above her asked.

Her body was being pinned to the ground. Saniya pushed off whoever had tackled her with all the strength she had. They both let out a small groan of pain as they sat up. "What is your problem?" she demanded when she turned to him.

The man was unfamiliar. His dark skin was smooth and unblemished, except for the small trickle of blood running down his elbows. She looked down and saw her knees in similar condition.

He frowned. "Normally when someone saves your life, you thank them."

The most he did for her was give her skinned knees, she thought to herself. But, she supposed that she could understand where he was coming from. She was just about to jump over a balcony. To anybody that didn't know of her abilities, it would be alarming.

"I'm not thanking you," she said while trying to stand up, despite sympathizing with the man. "Jarvis, I think there's an intruder."

"This is Colonel Rhodes. He is a friend of Mr. Stark. I can assure you that he is not trespassing."

"Call me Rhodey." He placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to lead her back into the mansion. She refused to move. "Listen, I'll feel much better with you away from the cliff."

Saniya, in a genuine effort to appease him, did what he said. Rhodey stayed behind her like he expected her to run to the balcony again.

"You didn't have to tackle me," she said. The venom in her voice, though she tried to hold it back, was sharp enough to make him wince.

"Yes. I did." Rhodey crossed his arms. "Let me take you to the hospital. Okay? They have psychologists for this sort of thing. Whatever made you do that, there's a better solution. We'll figure it out together if you need to."

"I…," she let her voice drift off. Even the coldest parts of her heart were touched by his words. A complete stranger cared about her wellbeing. She managed a small smile of gratitude. "I wasn't trying to commit suicide if that's what you're thinking."

Rhodey finally removed his hand from her shoulder. "Then what was that?" He tilted his head. "What? Does Tony have more super friends or something?"

She shrugged. "Let's just say that I would have been perfectly fine if I had jumped," Saniya rolled her shoulders, already feeling her muscles ache from the fall. "And what are you? SHIELD?" At the very mention of the organization, her body tensed.

"United States Military," Rhodey answered. He sighed, seeming to have connected the dots that she wasn't completely normal. "Is Tony around?"

She narrowed her eyes. Jarvis had said that Rhodey was a friend, but she couldn't help but be cautious. Had Tony gotten in trouble with the government?

On cue, Tony, in his Iron Man suit, stomping up the stairs, snapped his metallic fingers at her. "Sani, heel! Rhodes didn't know any better when he took you down linebacker style. Very impressive form, by the way."

Rhodey raised an eyebrow at the suit. "You told me we were carpooling. As in a car."

Tony shook his finger. "I never said that."

"You did," the colonel insisted.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. The only thing that matters is that I'm taking the suit. You'll have to find your own way to the bar." And with that, he stepped out onto the balcony and shot into the sky.

Saniya stared until the remarkable piece of engineering and Tony were out of sight. "You probably should have seen this coming," she said.

"You're probably right." Rhodey looked at her from the corner of his eye as he turned away. "Am I going to get an explanation for whatever the hell you were doing?"

"No."

He paused for a moment, then brushed it off with the wave of a hand. "I'm going to trust you're in good hands here." Rhodey looked towards the ceiling. "Jarvis, maybe it's best that you block her access to the balcony."

"As you wish."

Saniya sucked in a calming breath. Her toes curled against the hard floor.

"Colonel Rhodes," she started slowly, "you are being..." Insufferable? Irritating? "Stupid. You don't need to block my access or anything."

Rhodey was already making his way towards the front door. "Listen, I don't care what hidden powers you have or anything. All I know is that I saw a woman about to jump off a cliff and I intervened." He paused at the glass, giving her one last parting glance. "Maybe you should be kinder people who help you. It'll make them more inclined to help in the future."

Leaving her feeling like a scolded teenager, Rhodey drove away from the mansion. Tony had a huge head-start, but he didn't seem to mind as he sped away.

Saniya kicked at a rug. "Jarvis," she tested, "undo all restrictions Colonel Rhodes made."

"Of course, Ms. Ramakrishna."

That caused her to stop displacing her anger on the poor rug. "Excuse me?"

"All restrictions placed by Colonel Rhodes are lifted."

Her jaw fell slack. "Wait, I have the power to undo Colonel Rhodes' commands? I have more power than him?"

"You and Colonel Rhodes have equal access to my features."

She shook her head, still in disbelief. "No. No way," she told the AI. "I don't believe for one second that Tony trusts me as much as he trusts his friend. Right?" Jarvis stayed silent. Saniya's eyes roved over the ceiling, wishing that there was a hologram of a face or something so she could figure out why he wasn't saying anything. "Jarvis?"

"A car to drive you to Stark Industries will arrive in ten minutes. The cab fare has already been paid for and Mr. Hogan left your security pass on the kitchen counter."

"Thanks," she mumbled.

And sure enough, the rectangular plastic was right where he said it would be. The picture was the same one from back in the tower, before the 'bomb' incident. Her face was in an aggressive scowl, which, ironically, caused a smile on hers. She clipped it to her t-shirt, smoothed her jeans, and wondered how mad Happy would be if she brought her gun with her.

Greg — Received at 1:14 PM
Missing you babe xoxo

Message Sent at 1:16 PM
I swear to god, Greg. One more time...

Greg — Received at 1:17 PM
Sorry srry. Forgot you don't like being called babe

Message Sent at 1:17 PM
Don't call me babe or anything like that

Message Sent at 1:17 PM
You're my friend and just that. I miss you too. As a friend

Greg — Received at 1:18 PM
I'm sorry, comrade. Friend of mine, tell me when you will be back so I won't have to work alone

Message Sent at 1:19 PM
Don't know. Don't scam anyone while I'm away

Greg — Received 1:21 PM
Maybe ;) g2g. Old lady with a money bag just entered

Message Sent at 1:21 PM
GIVE HER A REASONABLE PRICE. THE SHOP NEEDS A GOOD REPUTATION

She slipped her phone into her back pocket, tapping her pen on her notepad. Her security card sat clearly on her shirt, sticking it out for anyone who passed by, hoping that they were the scientist Pepper had arranged to meet her. The bottom of her shoes smacked against the legs of the couch in a steady pattern. A man, who seemed like he was waiting for an interview, was stabbing her with his imagination.

At the end of the hallway, a graying man in a lab coat was walking down the hallway. Saniya squinted her eyes as she tried to read the security card from the long distance. The last name looked like it began with a 'w', and since she was bored of waiting, she took the chance.

And when she noticed that the man was indeed not Dr. Walkins, she pretended to be interested in her shoes before defeatedly making her way back to the couch.

Saniya scanned the hallway once again. Where was he? She rechecked the time on her phone. It was past fifteen minutes from when they were supposed to meet.

Her body turned rigid when she noticed Bruce by the secretary's desk. The sharp beatings of her heart stopped when he made eye contact with her.

"Please don't be walking towards me," she muttered to herself, her cheeks growing hot.

Despite her silent prayers, he was indeed walking towards her. Bruce's smile was kind and genuine. As subtle as it was, it lit up his entire face. She couldn't stop herself from smiling back. He was adorable.

"I'm waiting for someone," she told him. "Important appointment and such."

He nodded. "Dr. Walkins had a family emergency." Bruce wound his hands together into a knot. "I hope you don't mind if I show you around."

She was saying yes before she had thought it through. Still, the smile he gave her melted her heart. It wouldn't hurt to spend some time with him. Even if he had ignored her for three months.

Bruce led her down the hallways and they passed a keen-eyed receptionist. With one flash of his badge, though, she blanched and stared down at her keyboard. Word must have gotten around about the "Other Guy". His shoulders tensed, but other than that, he didn't react.

"You're not getting trouble because of... the other guy..., right?" she asked, pushing open the door to the most restricted area of Stark Industries.

He ducked his head. "No, not really. All that was released with the videos of New York was my last name, but it seems the people here have caught on enough. I'm not bothered, though." Bruce met her gaze, the back of their hands momentarily brushing against one another. She was the first to look away.

They passed through what looked like a metal detector. She was suddenly happy she had left her gun back at the mansion.

Saniya glanced at her notepad. "So, has Stark Industries been staying away from weapons?"

Bruce nodded. "Do you remember the paintball gun?"

"The one that shot through your foot?"

He winced at the memory. "Yes. Tony deleted the design and got rid of the prototype. He thought about it and decided that he didn't want even fake weapons to be built or endorsed by Stark Industries. Anything weaponizable is pretty much destroyed if that answers your question."

"That does. Good on him," she said. "Next question, what is that?" She pointed towards a large metal square several engineers were gathered around. There were rivets in the metal that made it look like tiles on a roof.

"A solar panel. The hope is that people will buy them more often if they don't look like solar panels."

She made a noncommittal sound of vague interest before moving on. He pointed out several up and coming technologies, but it became painfully clear that Bruce had no more idea of what Stark Industries was working on than her. She imagined that was because he and Stark usually stuck to themselves. But, at least, with a long look, Bruce could tell her what almost anything was. By the time they were visiting the last of the labs, she had a page of notes from what he had said.

Bruce glanced at her notepad. "I thought you said that you would never become a SHIELD minion? I'm amazed they convinced you to do work like this for them."

Her knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip on her pen. Taking a page out of Natasha's book, she kept her face neutral. Well, neutral enough to fool Bruce into thinking everything was okay. "I say a lot of things," she said tightly.

He gave her an odd look. Her mask had failed. "What happened in the last three months?"

She upturned her nose. "Maybe if you had stuck around a little longer then you would have known," she said before she could arrange her thoughts.

Bruce's eyes widened a fraction. "I didn't know—"

"Forget I said anything," she interrupted. But, the damage was done. Saniya's face softened to an almost affectionate expression. "I'm just bitter. I know you didn't... mean to..." She pursed her lips. "Let's just say I understand why you left."

His frown darkened the creases around his eyes. "What do you think my reasons were?" he asked curiously.

Her mind flashed back to the brief kisses they had shared. Every detail, every hesitation and stuttered word, had been overexamined to the point that she had convinced herself that he had left because of her. Over the last three months, he was just one of more than a few people who had left her behind. Saniya thought herself as an unforgiving person, maybe describe herself as callous, but it was quite the opposite. Despite knowing it, she had forgiven Bruce for leaving her the moment she saw his face after those three months. In all honesty, she was angrier at herself than at him.

Unfortunately, one major flaw in her personality was how easily she could displace her anger. Bruce didn't deserve the harsh comments that sometimes flew out of her mouth. He deserved much better.

And, hating the way he was looking at her, she smiled softly. "Because of winter," she joked as an answer to his question. "If I had the chance to spend the snowy months in California, I'd take it too."

There was the smallest of movement on the corner of his lips. "That and someone has to keep Tony from accidentally killing himself." Bruce opened the door and they were back in the hallway they had started in. "Speaking of the devil, he mentioned that you seemed lonelier the last time you two spoke."

Saniya blinked. "The last time we spoke? Me and Tony?"

Bruce seemed unsure now. "Yes. That's what he told me."

She shook her head. "I haven't spoken to him since I left the tower. Pepper sent me a few emails, but that was it."

He shook his head. "Oh, well maybe he didn't say that after all. I don't remember every word he said. But, have you been alright? You're not feeling lonely, are you?"

The word tumbled around in her head like a boulder. Lonely. That was the perfect descriptor, actually. She had used words like attention-starved and abandoned to describe her feelings. They never fit exactly. But, lonely was perfect.

Natasha didn't hang around. She stayed for a couple of days then disappeared for weeks at a time. Clint usually followed.

Agent Musa had made it clear that their relationship was strictly professional. One night when she had offered to pay for dinner, the agent had hastily declined and reminded her that they were never going to be friends. Partners, possibly, in the professional sense, but that was it.

Dorie spent most of her time in the helicarrier. She returned to the mainland every once and awhile, but she usually used that time to visit the family she had left behind in New Jersey.

And Thor was completely off the grid. She was beginning to doubt if she'd ever see him again.

Marsha was the most heartbreaking of them all. Saniya could vividly remember the hushed phone calls and the echoes of Marsha's basement. The tears and fearful whispers that her parents might hear them talk and SHIELD will take them away. She hadn't called in weeks. Maybe it was easier on Marsha that way.

That left Greg, but they only truly spoke while working on cars. He rarely answered his phone after work, leaving her to sulk alone at bars or gyms a lot of nights.

Lonely was an understatement. But, she found herself at a crossroads. It was embarrassing to admit what she was feeling. To her, it was like she relied on other people too much. She needed them, but they clearly didn't need her. As shown by Bruce and the number of other people that fluttered in and out of her life.

She bit her tongue when the first cynical words threatened to come out. Saniya sucked in a deep breath and plastered a stiff grin. "I've been feeling good."

Bruce wasn't easily convinced, but he had enough sense to not to push her. "I was thinking of going out tonight. I've been here three months and have barely explored Malibu," he said, casually twisting his hands. "Would you like to join me?"

Saniya felt her body freeze like she had been thrown in a lake in winter. Was he asking her out? Surely he couldn't be, but it almost sounded like it. A bubble of anger sat in her gut. It felt like her emotions were being toyed with. Saniya may have long forgiven him, but the insecurities would likely never leave. Unknowingly, he had planted a seed of doubt in her head about what he truly felt for her. Three months ago, she would have readily said 'yes'. Now, she was trying to figure out if he was innocently asking her for a night of fun or had an angle.

Luckily for her, she had pre-made plans so she didn't have to break her head over Bruce's motives. "Can't. I promised coffee with Happy. We're going to be out all night," she explained. The coffee part was true. Being out all night was a tiny, necessary white lie.

There was an indescribable emotion on his face. He slipped his hands in his pocket. "Another time, then." Bruce then took them out and began fiddling his thumbs in what seemed like a nervous tick. "I have work to do. Will you be fine if I leave you here?"

"I think I'll be okay," she teased. His small grin, though weak, made her heart flutter.

Greg — Received at 2:56 PM
Some security business wants me to maintain their vehicles. Finally got us a steady income xoxo

Saniya pocketed her phone. Finally, Greg's business was getting somewhere.

She spotted Happy on the couch, right where he said he would be. There was a sour expression on his face like he had been eating a lemon. And when she plopped on the couch next to him, his expression didn't change.

"So, you ready for coffee?" she asked.

Happy's mouth screwed into a frown. He jerked his chin towards a man lounging by the window. "He wasn't wearing his security badge." Saniya straightened her own at the mention of the piece of plastic.

"A lot of people don't wear their security badges," Saniya reasoned. "I think about a third of the people I saw didn't."

His eyes widened. "What?" Happy looked like he was prepared to storm down the hallways in a fit of righteous rage.

She put a fake smile on her face after seeing his reaction. "Kidding." Another white lie.

He gave her a wary glance. "Something isn't right with him," he whispered. "Have you seen him in any SHIELD database or whatever you have? Maybe a criminal watch list?"

"I don't have access to that sort of stuff," she said back, not bothering to whisper back.

Despite how little she knew about him, Saniya had picked up on his tendency to be a bit paranoid. It didn't make sense that the man Happy was sure was bad news was anything but normal. All he was doing was slouching in the chair, looking insanely bored. She watched him drop a magazine to his chest and throw his head back, letting it hang.

Saniya leaned against him. "I don't get it. Why do you think something isn't right?"

"Instincts," he tapped the side of his head. "Some people got 'em, some don't."

She rested her elbow on his shoulder. "Are you saying I don't?"

He shrugged as his lips curved upwards slightly. "Depends if you agree with me or not. I don't know about you, but my instincts are telling me that things are not what they seem."

Any signs of a smile dropped when he turned his head. She followed his gaze to Pepper's office. Pepper was leaning against a man in a dark suit, standing on the coffee table in the center of the room. They were surrounded by a mixture of orange and blue light, forming the vague outline of a brain.

"His name's Aldrich Killian," he muttered. "Sound familiar?"

"Never heard of him." The frown on her face turned sour. Pepper's face told the whole story. She was charmed. Saniya saw the subtle touches. She also noticed the way Aldrich was looking at Pepper. That was a look she had been a victim of more than once. It made her stomach turn with nausea. He might as well had been a wolf dressed in fleece and Pepper was the oblivious sheep frolicking in the field like she wasn't about to be eaten. "Should I interrupt them?"

Right as he was about to answer —she had a strong feeling he was going to agree— a loud beep came from his Stark Tablet. Happy picked it up then held his hand in front of it, unsure of what to press next. Saniya pushed 'answer' for him. Then, He proceeded to hold it insanely high.

"Hello?"

"Is this forehead of security?" said Tony though the tablet.

"What?" Happy asked, genuinely clueless. After scanning the hallway, he turned back to Tony. "You know what? I got a real job. I'm working. There's something going on here, and Saniya agrees with me."

Saniya shook her head, tilting the tablet towards her after Tony exclaimed her name. "I think there's something going on in there," she pointed towards Pepper's office. "Not sure if I agree with you on the other guy."

Happy glared at her. "I'm telling you, he's shady."

Tony shook his finger at them. "What shady guy?"

"The one in the office," Saniya said while Happy hissed, "he's sitting in the chair over there."

The billionaire raised an eyebrow. "Which one is it?"

Happy and Saniya locked eyes. Then, he shrugged. "I mean, probably both," Happy compromised. "Listen, something is off." He raised the tablet closer to his face. "I'm watching Pepper, and you're not going to like it."

Tony let out a sarcastic 'oh no'.

She tugged the tablet out of Happy's technologically incapable hands. "I know guys like him," she explained. "He has the whole manipulative douchebag feel to him and I haven't even spoken to him yet."

"Peps can handle him. She works for a fortune five hundred company and is dating me. I don't think he's much of a threat."

Tony's face disappeared from view as he set his phone down. Happy leaned over her shoulder. "Whatever he's saying, she's eating it up." He pointed to the office where Killian was leaning over Pepper to show her a specific part of the brain. "Did you see that? I used that same move in high school."

"Considering that all I can see are your faces, no. I didn't."

Happy narrowed his eyes and took the tablet from her. "He's showing her his big brain."

Tony coughed on the apple he had been biting into. "His what?" He shook his head, holding the screen back to show his face. "Flip the screen, Happy."

"I don't—"

"Flip the screen," Tony insisted. "You've had the tablet for this long and you don't know how to flip the screen?"

Happy glared. "I don't know how to flip the screen. You'll have to take my word for it. It's getting weird."

Tony sighed. "Sani. Please put him out of his misery and do it for him."

With a simple tap, Tony was getting a full view of Pepper's office. There was an unnatural silence coming from him.

"Who is that?" he said with a strangely serious voice.

"Aldrich Killian," Happy informed. "We met him back at that one science convention in '99. Switzerland I think."

"Mmhmm." Tony was tapping on his phone now, probably pulling up information on Killian. "I trust Pepper," he said slowly and with the faintest hint of uncertainty. Tony cleared his throat. "Happy, got your taser on you?"

Happy set his shoulders with determination. "You want me to tase him?" Already, his hand was on his waist.

"As much as I appreciate that your first instinct is to tase him for me, no. Some gal in HR is stealing printer ink. You should probably get down there and zap her."

Happy frowned. "Ha. Ha. You're such a comedian."

Killian took down the brain and the lights in the office came back on. Through the window, Pepper made eye contact with Saniya. Saniya raised two hands to her neck like she was choking herself, then pointed towards Killian who, fortunately, had his back turned.

Pepper raised an eyebrow and mouthed 'what?'

Saniya exaggerated her mouth movements as she mouthed back 'bad guy'.

Poor Pepper was hopelessly confused. And before she could get answers, Killian said something, stealing her attention away. Saniya collapsed against the couch. She'd tell Pepper all her thoughts on Aldrich Killian later.

"I might have to raincheck on coffee," Happy said as he tried to close out of the video function on his tablet.

"Are you kidding me?" she deadpanned.

He glared at the man who was accompanying Killian. With a jerk of his chin, she had a good idea of what he was planning to do instead of coffee. She rested her hands on his wrist. "Happy—"

"There's something I don't like about this. It's my job to check it out."

Saniya frowned. "You work security at Stark Industries, not a private investigator." She huffed when he didn't respond. "Fine. Do whatever," she said coldly. A part of her wanted to end on that note, but she found herself grabbing his hand as a small reassurance. Whether it was for him or herself, she wasn't sure. "I don't plan on going back to the mansion for a while, so if you get into any trouble, promise you'll call. I have a gun."

Happy nodded, then paused. "SHIELD did train you how to use it, right?"

Her delay in responding didn't make him feel any better. "Okay, I'm no Hawkeye, but I'm better than nothing." She stood up, untangling her hand from his. A brief panic went through her when she noticed the flush on his neck. Hopefully, he didn't think she meant any of that in any other way than friendship. "Be careful."

He smiled. "I didn't become Head of Security because I wasn't."

They said their quick goodbyes and parted. Saniya had been walking out of Stark Industries when she realized that she had no idea what to do since Happy wasn't in the equation anymore.

Turned out, Malibu's nightlife had a lot to offer, no matter how close to the holidays it was. She had made a quick stop at the mansion to change into a short black dress but hadn't returned for hours. Instead, she passed the time by bar hopping.

Halfway through the night, she had met a group of college girls working for their doctorates. They bounced from bar to bar together until they began dropping like flies. The designated driver and Saniya had to herd a group of drunk girls to the van, which was eerily similar to how sheep were herded by dogs. They hadn't exchanged numbers. They hadn't even asked what her name was. Saniya doubted they would ever meet each other again, despite how much fun they had.

She was alone, but she had stayed in the last bar they had stopped at. It was a seedier place far away from the typical tourist hotspots It was quieter too. A television was on with a news program playing. Some men in the back were playing pool —she was pretty sure the man with the mustache was hustling them. The bartender was an old man and looked relieved that the gaggle of drunk women had left his quiet nook.

So there she was, sitting at the bar with her phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

A man with clipped brown hair and a small, red octopus pin on his collar gave her a cursory glance. He raised an eyebrow as a inhaled deeply and coughed out the smoke.

She glared. "What?" He just shrugged and went back to his drink.

Saniya unlocked her phone, finally unable to resist the urge.

And —as expected— she went to voicemail. Nothing new.

"Hey mom, dad, I'm having a great time in Malibu," she said. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm not getting into trouble." She paused. "Who am I fooling? You aren't worried about me If you were, you would have picked up the damn phone," she muttered.

She took another drag from her cigarette. "Just call me back. Please. Even if it's to tell me to leave you guys alone. I need to hear something." The phone clunked as she dropped it on the counter

Saniya snuffed her cigarette out in the ashtray across from her. Then, she froze. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, something Happy would describe as her instincts telling her that something wasn't quite right. She turned her head. The man with the odd octopus pin was gone.

She glanced down at the pack of cigarettes. It must had been making her paranoid. Instead of storing it for later, she dropped it into someone's purse as they passed by and swore that she'd never smoke again.

For the next half hour, she responsibly drank away her feelings. Saniya never liked getting blackout drunk, but she was dancing on the thin line between relaxing after a long day and being a drunkard.

But, the one benefit of alcohol was the confidence it gave her. Before she could rationally think about her actions —a well-known disadvantage to beer—, the phone was pressed to the side of her face. She shifted on the stool in anticipation.

"Hello?"

She bit her lip at his voice. "Bruuuuce. Where are you?"

"I'm home. Are you okay?"

Saniya winced. He had heard the strong slur in her voice. "I'm fine, doll." She twirled her hair between her fingers. "I just thought that if you were out, you could come drink with me. I'm soooooo lonely."

Bruce chuckled. "I don't drink and it's almost three in the morning. "Isn't Happy with you?"

There was a bitterness to his voice that Saniya in her drunk state had no hope of noticing. Instead, she began worrying what he would think of her if she told him the truth. At that moment, she couldn't come up with anything more embarrassing than telling him that she was drinking alone.

"He's in the bathroom," she lied. "He's doing—"

"I really don't need to know what he's doing in the bathroom," Bruce rushed out. His breath caught as she giggled like she was full of bubbles.

"I'm kind of drunk," she admitted. Saniya held her hand out in front of her hand tried to touch her nose. She accidentally poked her cheek instead.

"I know," Bruce said with humor. "Don't drive home. Okay? Don't let Happy drive you home either if he's been drinking."

Saniya slurped her whiskey. The bartender wrinkled his nose at the sound. "Uhh... Happy's taking good care of me," she said. "Like, really good care of me. I've never been so well taken care of in my life. You don't have to worry at all, baby."

It was meant to reassurance Bruce. Unfortunately, her temporarily sluggish mind didn't pick up on the sexual meaning of her words of the almost sultry way she had said them. If her phone had better reception, maybe she would have heard him grinding his teeth.

"I have to go."

Her eyes widened. "What? W-Why do you have to go?"

"I— There're things to do in the morning. It's late. Besides, I'm sure you want me to leave you and Happy alone."

Saniya rested her head on the counter. "Bruce—"

"Goodnight, Sani. Stay safe."

"I will," she whispered back. "Bye, Bruce."

Saniya ended the call. Her cheeks hurt from how red they were turning. That phone call hadn't ended as well as she thought it would.