Flirty
Ingrid hadn’t even noticed at first.
She had been standing at the bar, waiting for their drinks, while Mapi was a few feet away animatedly talking to a couple of their teammates. The club was loud, the bass of the music thrumming through her chest, and she was absentmindedly drumming her fingers against the counter when a voice piped up beside her.
“Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”
Ingrid turned, immediately clocking the stranger’s flirty smile. He was close -too close- but she didn’t think much of it. People flirted in bars. It wasn’t a big deal.
“I don’t come here often,” she replied, shifting slightly to the side to create some space.
The man grinned, leaning in anyway. “Shame. Someone like you should be out more.”
Ingrid blinked. She had no idea what that even meant, but before she could formulate a response, she felt it -a presence behind her, radiating heat and barely restrained irritation.
Mapi.
“Qué haces?”
It was two words, but Ingrid could hear everything in them. The annoyance, the disbelief, the thinly veiled threat.
The man glanced between them, clearly oblivious to the rapidly building tension. “I was just having a conversation.”
“Con mi novia?” Mapi shot back, stepping around Ingrid to properly face him.
Ingrid barely resisted the urge to sigh. This wasn’t going to end well.
“Oh,” the stranger said, finally seeming to catch on. “I didn’t realize.”
“Now you do.” Mapi’s voice was clipped, sharp, her body angled slightly in front of Ingrid’s as if she needed to shield her from further attention.
The stranger held up their hands in mock surrender. “Relax. No harm done.”
Mapi narrowed her eyes, clearly debating whether or not to let it go. Ingrid could practically feel the tension rolling off her in waves.
Deciding to intervene before Mapi actually started a fight, Ingrid slipped an arm around her waist from behind, her hand sprawled across her stomach. “It’s fine, cariño.” She gave her a tug backwards.
Mapi turned to look at her, eyes still stormy. “No, no es fine.”
“It is.” Ingrid pressed a kiss to her temple, a silent plea to let it go. “I’m yours, remember?”
That seemed to work. Mapi huffed, muttering something under her breath before allowing Ingrid to drag her away from the bar. They reached a quieter corner of the club, and Ingrid barely had a moment to breathe before Mapi turned on her.
“Por qué no dijiste nada?”
Ingrid blinked. “What?”
“You just let him flirt with you?”
Ingrid chuckled. “I wasn’t exactly encouraging them.”
Mapi folded her arms, still scowling. “You didn’t stop them either.”
Ingrid sighed, stepping closer. “Because I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
Mapi scoffed, but before she could say anything else, Ingrid cupped her face, gently stroking her cheek with her thumb.
“Mi amor,” Ingrid murmured, voice softer now. “I only want you.”
Mapi’s jaw clenched, but some of the tension bled out of her shoulders. “Lo sé,” she admitted, quieter this time.
Ingrid smiled, pressing their foreheads together. “Good. Now, can we go enjoy our night?”
Mapi exhaled slowly, then nodded. “Fine.”
Ingrid grinned, kissing her quickly before pulling her toward the dance floor. Mapi followed, still grumbling under her breath, but when Ingrid wrapped her arms around her and swayed to the music, she finally let herself relax.