With Mila's car, they drove to the clubhouse, so Alex could drink as much as she wanted. After they'd parked the vehicle, they left the car. Alex wrapped an arm around Mila's waist while they walked up to the clubhouse. Still, the nerves were bubbling up and with every step she took, she felt worse.

Next to the entrance Happy and Kozik were talking and smoking. They both smirked as she caught their attention and her sponsor whistled on his fingers. Alex felt immediately more confident and grinned back. She introduced Mila to Happy. Her stiff movements gave away she found him a creep. Alex chuckled inwardly. If her friend would know what crimes Happy had done, she would probably never ever set a foot in Charming again.

A few steps further, Gemma was waiting for them. Her eyes lit up as she saw them. "I'm happy to see the both of you," she said, kissing them on the cheek.

Mila underwent the greeting impassively, even though she looked at the woman as if she could turn into a dragon at any moment.

Even though she could really do that, metaphorically speaking.

"I'd almost forgotten how intense she could be," Mila whispered as they headed for the bar.

"Be happy she likes you."

Alex's eyes wandered through the room, looking for Juice. She didn't plan to go to him immediately, she just wanted to know where he was.

Again she felt a warm breathing next to her ear. "Good Lord, if that's him I totally understand why you've fallen so hard for him."

Alex turned her head the other side, in the direction Mila was signaling with her eyes not so subtly. Jax was talking to Opie and Lyla, with Tara on his side. A small smirk played around Alex's lips.

"No, that's Jax. He's with Tara. They engaged a week ago, so you better forget about him."

Mila pouted her lip, even though Alex knew her friend would rather start a relationship with a 70-year-old than with a criminal.

"Hey!"

Suddenly Juice stood next to them. He cast Mila a curious glance and gave Alex a meaningful stare.

Yep, we worked things out, she tried to tell him non-verbally, and the nod Juice gave her, convinced her he indeed got the message.

Despite all the time they'd spend together the past week, she felt her cheeks glow with him suddenly standing next to her. He wasn't wearing a very daring costume, but she knew where his inspiration was coming from. He was wearing dark jeans, a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a blue and white tie, equipped with the Ravenclaw emblem.

"Wow, you wear a daring costume," she said with a smirk. They'd watched the first two Harry Potter movies yesterday and he'd clearly been impressed by it.

"We're not all made to wear dresses." His eyes wandered across her body, and she barely dared to breathe. "Well, don't know if it's a compliment but dresses suit you. At least more than the other guys."

It indeed felt like a compliment and she could feel her cheeks turn red again. She chuckled a bit awkwardly and bumped her shoulder against his. Right after that, she felt a not-so-subtle elbow in her side.

"Oh, right..." she said – even more clumsy. "This is Mila. Mila, this is Juice."

The two shook hands.

"Come, let's have a drink," Mila said before a conversation could take place. She hooked her arm around Alex's and stepped away from Juice. Alex cast her friend an apologetic look and walked to the bar, where she ordered two beers.

"You don't like him?" Alex guessed, quietly, so nobody would hear her words.

Mila wrinkled her nose. "Of all people who are around you pick one with such an idiot haircut? And with tattoos on his head?" Then she pulled up the corner of her mouth. "But other than that, he's kinda cute."

Alex leaned with her elbows on the bar while drinking from the small bottle. "Then why did you drag me away so abruptly?"

"Because you forgot I was existing at all," she hissed, her head even closer to Alex's. "You forgot everyone, but him! Man, there's such a chemistry between you two it's a miracle the whole club isn't feeling it!"

"We're just friends."

Mila briefly looked over her shoulder. "Lex, he's staring at you. He's checking out your ass, to be more specific."

Alex choked in her beer and started to cough. As soon as she'd regained control of her breathing, she glared at her friend. "Don't be such a brat. He thinks I'm a guy." She gritted her teeth. "You know? This was the reason I didn't want to introduce you to him. Because you would imply dumb things like this. And we're whispering like some gossip girls. I'm going to play pool." She signaled her eyes to the side. "Maybe you should congratulate Lyla on her wedding and make a real attempt to get to know her. She's cool."

She turned away from her friend and walked to the pool table, where some of her brothers were already standing with a cue in their hands. For some reason, she felt a bitch for leaving her friend at the bar, but she no longer wanted to hear her moronic suspicions and she needed to spend time with her brothers since she'd barely seen them last week.