Page 112 of Our Little Dove

She huffs out a laugh and nods when she looks back at me, holding her hands up in surrender. “Fine, fine. I can let you guys out,” she chimes.

I smile, thanking her for the night before walking over to the boys, nearly tripping over my own feet as I move.Fuck.

“We should get going. Molly’s going to let us out,” I stumble over my words. Fintan nods in agreement, the alcohol making him more agreeable than usual.

“We can go to the apartment,” Kieran says, finishing off his drink before setting the empty glass down on the bar. Molly gives Joel a pat-down in search of his set of keys.

She flashes a triumphant smile as she holds them up, the metal glinting in the lights overhead. “Off we go!” she sings as she leads us toward the door to the staircase.

Molly slings an arm around my shoulder as we stumble out of Joel’s office, Kieran and Fintan following closely behind; chuckling at the way we cling to the railing as we try to walk down the stairs without falling.

“So you’re really doing it?” Molly asks as we walk side by side. “What?” my brows knit together as I turn to look at her. She removes her arm from around my shoulder and hooks our elbows together.

“You’re making content on Hush,” she says, her smile dropping slightly. “It’s part of the plan, M. I will be safe, I promise,” I offer, tucking my hair behind my ear before she stops in her tracks, causing my movement to cease as well.

“Have you thought this through, Lexi?” her eyes flash with concern.

“What do you mean? We’ve discussed the plan.”

“Yeah, but what happens when Hush doesn’t respond the way you hoped? Are you just going to keep making these videos? I just want you to think about all the outcomes this plan canhave,” Molly whispers before unhooking her arm from mine as we near the exit.

The club is eerily quiet now, the pulsing music long gone, leaving only the echo of our drunken chatter to fill the void.

As we step outside, the cool early morning air hits me like a slap in the face, instantly sobering me up a bit.

We decide to walk back to Fintan and Kieran’s apartment instead of waiting around for an Uber at this hour. “Text me when you get there and please think about what I said,” Molly murmurs as she pulls me in for a hug.

Nodding in response to her request, I step out of her arms and wave her goodbye before the three of us set off walking.

The streets are empty, save for a few stray cats darting between shadows and a lone car passing us. Fintan and Kieran keep up a steady stream of chatter all the way to their building.

Molly’s words rattle around in my head as we head toward the apartment and that, along with the fresh air, has me sobering up faster than I would have liked.

So much for relaxing and celebrating for one day after posting that damned video.

As we reach their building, Fintan fumbles with his keys before managing to unlock the door to the studio.

We make it upstairs, shedding our shoes and jackets haphazardly by the entrance.

“You okay, baby?” I ask as Alex stares out the large doors that lead to the balcony. “You haven’t said a word since we left the club.”

Fintan pulls a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lights one as soon as he plops down on the sofa.

Alex slowly turns to face me, a distant look in her eyes. “I’m fine,” she responds, though her voice lacks its usual conviction.

She walks over to the balcony doors and pushes them open, letting in a rush of cool early morning air. Leaning against the railing, she stares out at the city below, her thoughts seemingly a world away.

Fintan takes a drag from his cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke that hangs in the air like a ghostly veil. He eyes me for a moment before the silent understanding passes between us and we join her outside.

Fintan places a hand on her shoulder and she takes a deep breath before turning to face us, her expression troubled. “I just can’t shake off what Molly said to me back there,” she confesses, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if this plan goes wrong? What if Hush retaliates in a way we didn’t anticipate? What if we posted that video for nothing?”

I wrap my arms around her in a comforting embrace. “We’ll figure it out together, little Dove,” I say, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Fintan exhales another cloud of smoke, watching us with a furrowed brow. “These are all valid concerns, but we need tofocus on the end goal. The plan might change or deviate but as long as our goal remains the same, we’ll be fine,” he chimes in, his usual smirk replaced with a rare display of seriousness.

Alex leans into the hug, finding solace in our presence. “Thank you,” she says, her voice stronger now. “I agree. We need to be more proactive with this plan. Molly is right, we can’t just post and hope for the best. We need to create chaos on their platform.”

Fintan inhales the last bit of his cigarette before snuffing it out in the ashtray, seeming deep in thought as he mulls over her statement.

---