Page 20 of HER SISTER

"I can't choose."

Mili only chuckled, "You have to—food, entertainment, or nightlife," she said as we walked toward the SUV.

Dinner had just ended—and the amount of art that they put out on display was amazing.

Now Mili wanted to take me somewhere else—the only issue was that she wanted me to choose a category.

I sighed slightly, "Nightlife sounds interesting," I said, knowing that I wondered what spot she'd take me to.

Mili raised a brow, "I didn't expect you to choose that one," she said, opening the SUV door for me.

"Glad I could surprise you," I joked, walking past her to slide into the backseat of the SUV.

Mili slid in behind me before leaning toward the front to speak to the driver who had the barrier down.

I leaned back in my own seat, buckling my seatbelt as she told him the address to the next place.

I tried to eavesdrop, but with her hushed tone, I didn't seem to actually make out what she said.

Hopefully, we're going somewhere that isn't as cliché as a bar or club.

—

I curiously peeked out of the tinted windows, furrowing my brows as I looked at the buildings lining the streets.

All there seemed to be were restaurants and bars that had lines out the door and onto the sidewalks.

The people seemed to practically vibrate high energy—clearly excited to bask in this Saturday night at one of the numerous bars occupying this downtown street.

Others seemed to be waiting on their table for the couple of restaurants that had an extensive wait time.

A small gasp fell from my lips when my door suddenly opened, allowing me to lock eyes with Mili who seemed to have already gotten out of the car.

Was I really zoned out for that long?

"All these bars have lines," I said, grabbing Mili's extended hand as I slid down and out of the backseat.

Mili only hummed as we walked down the street littered with sober and drunk people, "That's a great observation, Ati," she teased me, letting go of my hand and sliding her arm around my waist.

The action alone seemed to send a warmth radiating throughout my body.

Walking with her like this felt like we were every other couple out on a Saturday night in LA.

It felt nice.

I furrowed my brows when she guided us into one of the restaurants.

We already had dinner, why would she—

But my thoughts were cut short when the woman at the hostess podium said, "Mili, welcome back."

I tilted my head as Mili nodded at her, passing everyone who was waiting at the front of the restaurant, and even the people seated at their tables throughout the large room.

Within seconds we were walking towards the bathrooms, but instead of heading into them, Mili guided us back to a door that read Employees Only.

"Mili," I whisper-yelled, clearly not trying to head back to the kitchen or break room.

But Mili only remained quiet, continuing to guide us down the long dimly lit hallway that soon led to a set of stairs.

I couldn't help but grow even more confused as we descended the dark stairs—where a man seemingly stood by a set of curtains.

The security guard immediately smiled, "Mili! Where have you been?" the man called out.

Mili smiled, loosening her grip on my waist to give the man a handshake before they side-hugged.

"I was in Brazil for a little while—you know how it is," she explained as if it were the most casual thing ever. "But I'll be back for a little while to finish up my degree," she added.

The man shook his head with a loose smile, "I doubt it'll be awhile with how much you travel," he joked, and his words alone seemed to make my stomach twist in knots.

Something else that seemed to set us apart.

It's not that I didn't like to travel—it just seemed like traveling was a part of Mili's career.

Long term, how would that work?

Mili awkwardly cleared her throat as she glanced over to me, clearly noticing my uneasiness.

The man suddenly looked at me, and almost immediately his face morphed into a look of realization.

"Xavier this is Ana—" Mili motioned to me before she said, "—Ati this is Xavier."

I gave the man a smile, even if I still felt thrown off, mostly by my own thoughts, "It's nice to meet you."

Xavier nodded, "You too—" he suddenly looked to Mili, "—Mili doesn't normally come here with anyone..." he trailed off, raising a questionable brow at Mili.

And the idea that I was one of very few that she brought here seemed to make any of my analyzing thoughts disappear completely.

Mili hummed, "Wow, who knew you actually noticed things," she sarcastically joked.

Xavier only rolled his eyes, "Okay smart ass, tell Zach to give you both a round on the house," he said, motioning us through.

Mili gave him a dramatic grin, and even if it wasn't genuine—the sight of her shiny white teeth almost made me pass out.

Seriously, how is someone this attractive?

"Aw look at you being nice," she joked as the man pulled back the curtains.

Xavier gave Mili a narrowed look, "You're acting like I won't take it back."

Mili only shrugged him off, "Because you won't—you love me too much," she called over her shoulder, easily earning an eye roll from the man.

"I forgot how cocky you were," he called out, earning a laugh from Mili who guided me into the dim room filled with people having their own private conversations.

There was a man seated at a piano playing soft jazz, couches and armchairs that were partially occupied with people sipping on mixed drinks, and a bar that a man worked busily behind.

I assume that the bartender is Zach.

I couldn't help but notice how historic the space was, from the genuine wood floors to the preserved red brick walls.

What is this place?

Mili leaned down into me, easily forcing my heart rate to quicken, "Pick anywhere you like and I'll go get us some drinks," she murmured.

I hesitantly nodded, feeling at a loss of words at just the lack of space between us.

As soon as Mili broke away from me to head toward the bar, I felt completely cold—the daze she managed to put me in was seemingly gone, easily making me realize I needed to find an empty spot.

I hesitantly looked around the room full of people, luckily they were all too engrossed in their conversations to notice how lost I looked.

Within seconds, I was able to pinpoint a set of cushioned armchairs over by the crackling fireplace. I also noticed an empty leather couch toward the back corner of the room.

The armchairs would force us apart while the couch wouldn't.

Would my choice matter?

Ugh, please don't overthink this, I thought to myself.

I let out a stressful sigh as I walked over toward the couch, knowing that I didn't want to put space between us and that it was further away from people, which would give us our own privacy.

As soon as I was seated on the soft couch in front of the coffee table, I pulled out my phone, knowing I hadn't even glanced at it since Mili and I exchanged numbers earlier.

And just like that, my chaotic thoughts were back.

I completely forgot that anything existed outside of me and Mili.

That Mili was my best friend's sister who I had made a promise to—who I lied to about where I was going tonight and who I was going to be with.

"Hmm, what's that look for?"

I suddenly looked up, noticing Mili now standing by the couch with two white and blue ombré mixed drinks.

I forced a smile, "Nothing," I forced out in one breath as I typed a quick response back to Mya.

Mili sat down beside me, "I don't like it when you do that," she said, handing me the beautiful drink.

I took the drink from her, "Do what?" I questioned with furrowed brows, sliding my phone back into my clutch.

Mili only hummed as she took a sip of her drink, "Pretend."

I blinked a few times, not knowing exactly how to respond to that.

So instead, I decided to say, "What is this place?"

It was an obvious topic change and we both knew that, but it was better than discussing Mya right now.

"It's a preserved speakeasy—I like to come here to get away from it all. Time somehow moves slower down here," Mili explained as she took another sip of her drink.

I hummed, trying the sweet coconut drink that somehow basked in the taste of alcohol.

"This place is really cool—" I took another sip of my drink, "—and this is possibly the best-mixed drink I ever had," I admitted.

Mili chuckled as I took yet another sip, "Yeah, they are—" she suddenly guided the drink out of my hands, "—they're also really easy to get drunk off of since it's hard to taste the alcohol," she said, sitting our drinks down on the coffee table in front of us.

I playfully narrowed my eyes at her, "How are you cutting me off already? I've barely had a few sips."

Mili's lips twitched up in amusement, "No one's cutting you off, Ati—you should just take it a little slower, that's all."

I reluctantly nodded, knowing she had a good point, "Fine," I said, even if I wanted another sip of the amazing drink.

Mili hummed, "Good, so now we can get back to what's bothering you," she said, easily circling back to the deflected topic.

But I wasn't quite trying to enter back into the real world.

A world where Mili was technically off-limits.

"Do they have a drink menu I could look at?" I questioned, and the topic change was much more obvious this time.

But tonight has been way too nice to ruin so quickly.

"I don't do small talk, Atiana," Mili suddenly said, easily making me purse my lips, "I like to discuss real things—even the hard stuff."

And the truthful statement alone seemingly earned a sigh from me, knowing that she had a point.

Small talk wasn't really my thing either.

I hesitantly nodded, reaching for my drink that I took a small sip of before I said, "Real talk it is."