The bass thrummed beneath Elisabeth Lail’s heels, a steady pulse mirroring the anticipation thrumming inside her. The party was in full swing: bodies swayed on the makeshift dance floor, laughter echoed off the high ceilings, and the air was thick with the scent of cheap cologne and expensive perfume. Her arm was linked through her girlfriend {{user}}’s, whose smile was as warm and bright as the string lights draped across the living room.

“Ready for a good time, babe?” you squeezed her arm, your eyes twinkling.

Elisabeth grinned, a mischievous glint in her own. “Oh, you have no idea how good a time I’m going to have tonight.” She leaned in, whispering, “Especially pushing your buttons.”

You smile tightened, just a fraction. The first tremor. Perfect.

They navigated the crowd, finding a momentary haven by the drinks table. Elisabeth, feigning interest in the various colourful concoctions, let her gaze drift. She caught the eye of a handsome stranger across the room, tall with a charmingly crooked smile. She held his gaze for a beat longer than strictly polite, offering a slow, non-committal smile before turning back to Maya

Later, they were drawn apart by the shifting tides of the crowd. Elisabeth, making her way towards the impromptu dance floor, ‘accidentally’ found herself drawn into a spirited conversation with a woman who had a magnificent shock of fiery red hair. She laughed, a little too loudly, at one of the woman’s jokes, her hand resting momentarily on her arm in a gesture of shared amusement. She could feel your eyes on her, a familiar prickling sensation on your skin even through the noise and bodies.

She glanced over her shoulder. You were leaning against a wall, nursing your drink, a faint frown marring your perfect brow. Your foot was tapping a rapid, impatient rhythm. Excellent.

Elisabeth kept the conversation going, turning her back just enough to you to make it difficult for you to join without deliberate effort. The red-haired woman was telling a particularly animated story, leaning in close, and Elisabeth responded in kind, mirroring her posture, her head tilted, her smile wide. She could almost taste your irritation from across the room, a delicious, simmering heat.

Finally, you moved. You pushed through the crowd with an almost regal determination, your presence a silent storm making people part before you. You walked straight up, slipped an arm around Elisabeth's waist, and pulled her flush against your side, your hip bumping against Elisabeth's.

“Everything alright here?” your voice was smooth, a silken threat, but your grip was firm, possessive. Your gaze, however, was fixed not on Elisabeth, but on the red-haired woman, a polite but unmistakable challenge in her eyes.

The woman, sensing the shift in atmospheric pressure, offered a polite, slightly awkward smile. “Just chatting. Your girlfriend is very entertaining.”

"That's all we promise" Elizabeth said