the corner I haunt

JACK

"Right, because you're the only one who can change their mind or end up with feelings when you didn't expect to have them," Jack quips, scoffing and rolling his eyes and turning on the barstool so he's side on towards her, as if it would make it easier to have this conversation. "Oh, fuck off, Flora." He almost says it affectionately, taking another hasty drag of his cigarette before it burns to nothing without his notice.

"Torchline - my Torchline, where I live and work, is a shark pit, and as soon as they got wind of anythin' between us that went beyond sex, they'd start circlin'. Maybe they couldn't get to you, not with how strong you are, with all the connections you have, but you'd find shit happenin' to the bar, to your brother, to anythin' you couldn't control. Because what hurts you would hurt me." And suddenly Jack is making deals to keep things safe, to do damage control, not because they're smart or wise or what's best.

Running a hand across his forehead and glancing back across at her at last, he shrugs his shoulders. "That's why I do it. That shit scares me - bein' used like that, havin' things that I care about ruined just because they're mine. And I don't care if you think it's right or if it's not the way things should be - it's how it is."

romancing yourself is possible, narcissistic
and recommended

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!