Chapter 4 I decided

feeling negatively. I opened my eyes and looked around. The bar was still packed with people, most of them ordering a drink. It wasn't light enough to really notice everyone there, but I felt myself being pulled, like a magnet, toward the left corner. There, I understood that the owner of the sensation in my body was there. I stopped dancing and noticed, by the glimpse of her shadow amidst the colored lights, that the curves belonged to a man. I decided to give myself a chance and understand what was happening. Living in fear was survival.

Either way, I would tell my brother or brother-in-law that I would be out that night or with someone. Somehow, my protective side insisted on being careful. Often, protection was not enough. I walked among the people, and the music was still blasting around me.

A few more steps, and as soon as two women left the bar counter, I found a seat and leaned against it. "A still water," I asked in Spanish, and the bartender soon brought me a bottle. I felt the burning even more intense in my body, and it was as if the man next to me could touch me without even suggesting it. Maybe it was the simple chemistry between two strangers. I had never been the kind of person who believed that we could love just one person out of billions. However, I believed that we could trust a few. Neither love nor trust were at stake, it was just attraction. An attraction I had never felt before, and that somehow turned me on to the unknown. I opened the bottle of water the bartender handed me and drank it quickly, feeling that my physiology seemed to have completely changed just by joining the game. I didn't know exactly where to start, but I wanted to understand why the man next to me, who was clearly still looking at me, made a point of not saying anything. I raised my gaze and was finally able to look at him clearly. I quickly realized that I knew him from somewhere. I opened my mouth in surprise, and then reality fell on me. The same guy who was in front of the restaurant last night. Life's coincidences still scared me. However, I couldn't help but wonder: was it really just a coincidence? "You don't have to look at me like that." His hoarse voice sounded, and I stared at him deeply, searching for something I didn't even recognize in his gaze. "The city is small, like most cities in the interior of Spain."

"Okay." I said, feeling a little embarrassed at my clear distrust when I looked at him. - I wasn't going to approach her anyway. - she said, and I noticed that she didn't hesitate for a moment. Once again, I went back to one of my extracurricular activities. Classes on body language reading. It wasn't easy to identify patterns. I needed to get to know the person first. Somehow, completely ignoring science, I was just applying the method I had learned for a good part of the course. The man in front of me didn't seem to be lying, and he didn't even express any body gesture that would give him away. Stop it, Jess! My mind was fighting with my body, which clearly hated the fact that it couldn't hold a simple conversation. I took a deep breath and mentally recited one of the mantras I had brought into life: not everything, not anything, just me. I smiled at myself and felt my body calm down. I had barely noticed the way my heart was beating out of rhythm in my chest. Fortunately, almost no one could notice, or bothered to do so. I felt on the verge of collapse, and suddenly, I found oxygen. - It was just some random woman on the dance floor. - I started to speak, before I could use my rationality. My protective side would never let it go beyond a brief chat with the guy next to me. However, my life smiled at the event. I wanted to get involved with someone, in a way that would make me feel something real. Maybe that was just what I was looking for. A moment outside of the context and everyday life. - Why were your eyes following me? - I asked, and he seemed surprised by my approach.

- I confess that I am an observant man. - A smile lifted the right side of his mouth, revealing white teeth that could certainly be part of some toothpaste campaign. - I like to look at what interests me. - Is that why you looked at me? - I insisted, sitting on the stool next to him, and bringing the bottle of water to my mouth once more. - That's why I invited you to dinner last night, and I was completely delighted to see you again at a different time. - But you wouldn't talk to me, would you? - I asked, remembering what he had said before. - No... I know when I'm not welcome to someone. - he said, clearly unconcerned, and his smile, once again, tilted to the right corner of his mouth. - And right now, what do you think? He smiled broadly, letting me know his complete beauty. His eyes were a clear green immensity, and I was quite sure that they changed hue depending on the environment and even on his spiritual state. His mouth was full, well-shaped, filled with perfect teeth. The unshaven beard and the sexy messy hair, together with the dark blond color, gave him an air of danger. Everything that I should reject in a man. I did, most of the time. However, in front of him, I felt strangely interested. His appearance gave something away. His voice gave me another perspective. He didn't seem to fit a pre-defined pattern for most men. I liked his tone of voice and its firmness.

It was enough to understand if it was attracted to me, or even, because it was not a intruder. It seemed to respect spaces that I didn't even ask. This is to reach me differently. What made me think of things at all for the moment, much less, to share there with him. Really obviously about him he found. - Nothing that a good whiskey does not cure. He seemed marked by something, but not willing to give in control. A whiskey.- I said loud and clear, and then turned to him, who seemed to be not shying away from the clash we exchanged with each glance. - Anything else you want to talk about? - I asked, and he seemed to approve of my attitude. - Well, maybe starting with the right part... Guilherme Rivera. - he said, and extended his hand to me, as if measuring every touch around me. I barely noticed, but he seemed to be analyzing me too. Somehow, he was successful at the act.

I didn't give much importance to the name, in fact, I just associated it with the fact that it was striking. I liked the way the first name sounded in Spanish. - Jessica. - I said, and held his hand. A pleasant shiver ran through every cell of my body, as if I had been hit by a minimal electric shock, not enough to kill, but to leave marks. - Just Jessica? - he asked, and I soon noticed the two whiskeys placed in front of us. I nodded, and took my