The club is not too noisy yet, but people are arriving. Security guards inspect us at the entrance. They are checking documents. They look at me for a long time.

  “Is something wrong with my sister?” John asks, a little defiantly.

  “Everything is fine, come in.”

  We leave our coats in the cloakroom. Music is pying in the hall. It is louder than I am used to hearing.

  “It will be even louder,” John says, as if reading my thoughts, “keep your bag with you.”

  We sat down at a table.

  “Do you want a drink?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered.

  “I’m paying today. Next time you will owe me dinner. Even though you don’t always like what I say, you will have to tolerate my presence once.”

  He ughs at me again. I hate him at moments like these.

  “Okay, I will drink, but with a snack.”

  “Without it, I wouldn’t have let you,” he grins.

  The music does get louder. We drink white wine and eat pizza with pineapples.

  “A nice combination,” I note to myself.

  “Do you want to go to the dance floor or sit for now?” John asks.

  “Will you be mad if I order the Blue Lagoon?”

  The wine seems to have clouded my mind a little. He looks at me carefully. Then he finally agrees.

  “Just drink slowly.”

  Then he leaves me alone and disappears into the crowd. I look at the couples floating past me on the dance floor. The feeling is unusual. I am a little slow and surprisingly rexed. I want more. I have some money with me. I go to the bar.

  “I want this cocktail.”

  I point at the first one I see. It is raspberry colored. I point at the first one I see. It is raspberry colored. It looks beautiful. I’m siping it. A stranger approached me.“Let’s get acquainted, babe?”

  He smells of alcohol.

  “Sorry, but I’m not alone,” I answered.

  “Oh, come on. Let’s go dancing?”

  He touches my butt. I begin to lose my newly acquired peace of mind: “Back off!”

  But he does not leave me alone. On the contrary, he moves closer to me and starts to paw me.

  “Get your hands off her!” Someone grabs my offender by the shoulder.

  “Who are you? This is my girl,” the impudent fellow begins to object.

  “One more word addressed to my sister, and I will smash your whole face. Now get out of here!” John hisses impatiently.

  “Sister? Sorry, bro.” He backs away and disappears into the crowd.

  “What a bastard!” John is clearly angry. He sees my cocktail.

  “Who ordered it for her?” he asks the bartender demandingly.

  “She did it herself,” the bartender answers casually and shrugs.

  “Chris, stop drinking,” he says more calmly, “let’s go dancing.”

  “But I don’t know how. People will ugh.”

  That’s the st thing I want right now. My mood has already been ruined.

  “Hey, look at them! They are all drunk, do you think you are the only one? They don’t care about you. Bartender, can I have a shot, but not with pepper?”

  He dumps a fming triple-yer shot into himself and takes my hand.

  “Don’t forget your bag, I told you.”

  We’re going to the very center of the crowd.

  Close your eyes and just rex, take a deep breath and exhale a few times. Now just feel the vibe and move how you feel.

  The cocktail is starting to work. I guess I shouldn’t drink any more. John is right. He’s nearby and moving well.

  “Oh, hi, Anna, what brings you here?”

  I can’t hear the girl answering him, but she smiles sweetly.

  “Yes, it was a long time ago,” John says.

  “And she’s beautiful,” I note during the fshes of the spotlights, “why the hell are there beautiful girls hanging around him all the time. No, he’s beautiful, but I love him, not them! Why can’t he just be with me instead of making sarcastic comments?.. Hey, you’re going to do something unnecessary. Although what difference does it make, you’ll leave soon anyway. You will achieve your goal by any means necessary.”

  Alcohol seems to give me courage. They seem to be ending, but I decide to intervene in their conversation and come closer to her.

  “I’m Chris,” I’m extending my hand.

  “Anna,” she shakes my hand.

  I take John’s hand and press myself against him so that she can see.

  “I have to go. It was nice seeing you, John.”

  “What are you doing?” he asks ingratiatingly right in my ear. His voice is velvety murmuring, interrupted by the music. I like it very much.

  “Nothing special,” I try to parry the attack.

  “Don’t do that,” he continues, still in the same dangerous proximity to me. I shudder. I need to save myself, I almost gave myself away. Although what difference does it make?

  “I need to go to the restroom,” I tell him.

  “Should I walk you there?” his hand touches mine back.

  Oh no, that’s too much. And then there’s the smell of his perfume, enveloping him all the time. I’m getting tired of fighting my desires.

  “No, no, I’ll do it myself.”

  With these words, I hurry to leave him. I go into the restroom and look at myself in the mirror for a long time.

  “Are you okay?” a pretty blonde asked me.

  “Yes, thank you. I just want another drink.”

  “I understand,” she says sympathetically, “I can keep you company.”

  “But I’m not alone, ” I answer her, “it’s just that I love one person, but I can’t tell him about it. There are reasons for that.”

  “Two Cosmopolitans, please,” she says.

  We pay the bartender.

  “I’m Angie.”

  “Christina.”

  “Chris. I’ll call you that, if you don’t mind. Sometimes it’s better to say and feel sorry for yourself if something goes wrong, than not to try and torment yourself all your life.”

  I turn my head and see John sitting nearby, finishing his gss of whiskey.

  “Oh my God, Angie, I hope he didn’t hear our conversation.”

  She gnces around and says: You’re lucky. Besides being a handsome guy, (although not my type), he is also quite attentive to everything he does. He is not as simple as he seems.

  “Are you cirvoyant? Where did you come to such conclusions?”

  She ughs: “I learned to recognize gestures and observe people. This is my profession. However, listen to my words. If you do nothing, you will regret it ter. I have to go home. My girlfriend is waiting for me. She doesn’t like noisy pces. Bye.”

  She left, and I tried to comprehend our conversation. A wave of warmth covered my body again.

  “Let’s go dancing!”

  “I already thought you were hiding from me,” he sighs with relief, “wait, have you had another drink? Your coordination is failing you a little.”

  “Does it really matter?” I say.

  “No, but this is too much for you. You might feel bad if you continue.”

  “Let’s go already!”

  It seems like a sign of fate, but here begins a series of slow dances.

  “There will be several. Do you want to dance it with me?”

  He seems a little confused. It is unexpected to see such emotion from the self-confident and cynical John. But does it matter? He and I are finally standing close to each other. I look straight into his eyes. The world is floating under my feet. I drank so much in vain. I don’t feel bad, I just really want to sleep. But I can’t ruin the moment.