"I DIDN'T ACTUALLY NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM," Brian coughed, noticing Aracely hopping up onto the counter. She held her hand out for the beer, taking a sip when placed in her hands, "I figured when you didn't push me outta here."

"So what's this?" Brian leaned against the tile, "An interrogation?"

"You could say that," she replied, handing the beer back to Brian, "Something's off about you, Mr Spilner."

"I didn't peg you for a skeptic."

"I pegged you for a private school pretty boy," she instantly remarked, "But Brian Earl Spilner's done some time for boosting cars, I mean hey! It took cop off my suspect list."

"You thought I was a cop?" Brian laughed at the girl, "Now I know you're fucking with me."

Aracely crossed her legs on the countertop, "I mean I only really thought it tonight, but I think I'm learning you're just a cocky driver."

Brian dropped his head, "Ah, I heard Jesse did a background check on me."

"Right, back to that," Aracely motioned her hands toward her, Brian pulling himself from the wall closer to her, "We're a family here, okay?"

"I got that part," Brian took a glug of his beer. Aracely dangled her feet down the counter, "I don't know if I need to say this, but I'm going to anyway incase the whole dumb blonde thing is real."

"Ouch-" Brian laughed, Aracely glaring, "Me, Letty, Dom, Vince, Jesse, Mia... We're family and families take care of eachother."

"Do they now?" He rhetorically said. Aracely shook her head, pulling Brian by his collar, "You're a little bit of fresh meat right now but we can all tell Dom's starting to like you so just remember this... We take care of you, you take care of us."

"I got it," he answer, though he was fixated on her eyes and her lips and her nose and her skin and... He was fixated on her.

"If you're gonna do something shady around here, just know that I'm the one who'll catch you out," she reminded, "I've got friends in high and low places Brian. I'll figure you out if you fall out of line."

"Could we go back to like 5 seconds ago when you were flirting with me?"

"Cely you can't be getting it on in the bathroom!" Letty yelled from the hallway, her head peering in with a smirk when she saw Brian, "... but carry on."

"Shutup," Aracely stuck her tongue out, "Go make Dom rub your back and go to sleep, you're daydreaming too much."

"I mean, we could've been getting it on for all she knew," Brian teased, Aracely lightly pushing his shoulder back as Letty winked. Aracely lifted her brows, "Ah, so you're a jokester now aren't you?"

"I try," he playfully shrugged, taking a seat on the larger counter too; the two only separated by a sink, "Next time, could we make the rendezvous point like... the kitchen?"

"You're the one who needed to fake pee to get out of a gun fight with Vince," Aracely giggled, Brian scoffing, "Oh so you're laughing at the guns now? Maybe I should be scared of you."

"I mean, the gun in my glovebox isn't exactly fake, Earl."

"Should've started with that when you were trying to intimidate me."

"Trying?" Aracely hopped off the counter, "I did intimidate you."

"Nah, you were kinda cute the way you got all sweet about your crew," Brian cheerfully smiled in her annoyance. He threw his arms out in defense, "Hey, I like a girl like that. Who doesn't? It's endearing."

"The last person who called me sweet ended up behind bars."

"And who was that?"

"My dad," Aracely took the beer again for a sip, Brian furrowing his brows, "You put your dad behind bars?"

"No, I just like saying it that way," Aracely's eyes beamed, "Doesn't it sound cooler?"

Brian became more intrigued by her, "You ever done time?"

"Not in this life, no," Aracely shrugged as Brian giggled, "You think your a jailbird in a past life or something?"

"You wanna play 20 questions or talk about my past life?"

Brian smirked, "Is Vince your boyfriend?"

"Ex. Where'd you get the money for that Eclipse and it's upgrades?"

"Harsh... It's called hard work, Aracely," Brian whistled, "Who taught you how to drive the way you do?"

"Mi abuelo. Why'd you move here from Arizona?"

"You know what they say about California," he answered, Aracely rolling her eyes, "What?"

"Ooh, waste of a question," he leaned over from the counter, sarcastically relying, "Heard it was a hotspot for street racing."

"Cheater," she crossed her arms as Brian continued, "Did you win your first race?"

"No, you?"

"No," he nudged her, "What're the chances of me taking you out?"

Aracely was amused by that one, Brian finishing the last of his beer, "I don't think you're quite the detective you think you are."

"And why is that?"

"Cus it wasn't Mia I was trying to bump into everytime at the cafe," Brian shrugged, headed for the door as Aracely faked a yawn, "Bullshit."

"Took me a couple days to realise you only ever walked in there for a tuna sandwich on your break," Brian grinned, like he just won a prize. He paused at the doorframe watching Aracely cross her arms, "Were you too scared to talk to me Brian!"

"I mean, you handle a wrench like a weapon," Brian joked, "I gotta have my facts straight before I even tried to talk to you."

"About if you were a cop or not?" she poked once more, Brian sighing as he dropped his head, "I'm getting the sense you don't really believe me here. You said it yourself, I boosted cars. Can you get in with a record?"

Aracely slid through the doorway, "You tell me."

— cloudydior
beef <3