Chapter 3

21:30 - The Place Bar

At the restaurant, the group ended dinner by talking. Nala looked at the menu admiring the desserts, undecided whether to order a wonderful red fruit tart or the newest addition to the menu, the delight of chocopassion.

“ 'The incredible combination of pure dark chocolate with the sourness of passion fruit and the sweet touch that every Delight must have' is what the description says. Why do they make this temptation with customers? ” Nala spoke with deep indecision. If a producer was around he could even hire her as a drama actress. "Luuuu, help meeee" She called with his eyes almost in tears.

"This is marketing baby, shouldn't you already know that?" Themistocles scoffed, after turning the glass over.

“Close the beak that I didn't talk to you about, your legless" Scolded Nala rolling her eyes without even turning around, and he laughed saying something like 'it's like water' then turning around to continue talking to Rodrigo and Diego on the other side of the table who were scheduling a volleyball game for the next day.

“If you're curious, order the delight, Nala. It's good to try different things too” said Luciene with a smile on his face for their teasing.

"But what if I don't like it? You know I'm not a fan of bitter things!” she said, making a cute beak.

"Oh, you give me and I eat." She replied with an even bigger smile.

"Aff, boring!" Nala turned her head with a 'hum!' and crossed her arms doing an angry pose. Looking at them, amused, Aline called in a sweet voice “Nala, why don't we do it like this, you order the delight and I order the tart. Anything, if you don't like it, we'll trade it. What you think?"

This time Luciene swore she saw tears. Nala shook her head several times in affirmation “Autieee, you are the best! An angel on earth! Best person ever! ”

Nala had a habit of calling those she liked and was close, uncle and aunt. The craze got when she was a child, also extended to work, and after she asked, and Juan and Aline allowed, she always called them that way. Sometimes, she even forgot to call them by the job title when they were with other teams or the board, causing some laughs or frowns.

“Okay, okay. Without exaggeration. So I'm going to order, okay? ” After some more praise for the wonderful heart of 'beloved Aunt Aline', they called the waiter and asked. Diego and Luciene also took the opportunity to order a pudding and Rodrigo chose a lemonade.

“Did you have a guilty conscience, didn't you, Rodrigo?” It implied Diego, since apparently Rodrigo should maintain the regime for the volleyball play against the team of the neighboring state in two weeks.

"Just to avoid fatigue" He said looking sideways at his friend.

Soon the orders arrived. Nala loved the Delight of Chocopassion and everyone teased her face with satisfaction after finishing.

“Hey, hey! Guess what? Rodrigo has a new girlfriend!! ” Rodrigo who was drinking quietly almost spits out all the juice when he hears Luciene speaking in a hint.

"Really? What's the name?" "We met?" "How long ago?" "Are you going to introduce us?"

The table was flooded with curious questions. Like any good family, the team had their 'gossip aunts' and 'uncle of high wisdom' wanting to know and give love advice. And as the love life didn't smile much for any of them, any news it was like a full plate.

“Lu! Don't talk like that! We're not dating ... We just met! And how do you know? ” Rodrigo gasped, between some coughs, starting to turn red with shame. When he looked up to face Luciene, he didn't expect an expression of surprise.

"I, huh, have my sources!” - Maybe stopping by the cafe and seeing you talking excitedly with the girl helped, lol I am not to blame if you gave in! - Rodrigo can almost read Luciene's thoughts by looking at her convinced face.

“What a cliché phrase, I mean. All you have to do is say 'We're just friends ...' and put on a puppy dog face ”

"You're so mean, Nala." Rodrigo alternated between a 'you pay me' look to Luciene, and pure embarrassment to Nala.

"You talking like that seems like I even said something wrong" With an innocent expression, Nala just raised her hands as if she didn't understand the question.

"Not for nothing, Rodrigo, but I have to agree with Nala, you know ... Besides, who was it that spent almost 20 minutes looking at the screen of the cell phone, while Juan was speaking and then was full of smiles when the notification arrived?"

"And did you spend all this time looking at him, Diego?" Luciene didn't miss the opportunity to tease his friend, who despite being the quietest of them, Diego was also the most observant. Sometimes others would joke by calling him an eye of thundera, because he perceived situations and solutions very easily.

"Of course not! But I can't say it wasn't fun to see his apprehensive face. And there was still that tic that kept swinging the table all the time! I was almost giving him a big pinch to see if he stopped ... Give me a break! ”

"Seriously? I didn't even realize ... ”Rodrigo stopped, trying to remember, but all that was on his mind was the image of the chat. Two bars turning blue. Typing. And the answer was ...

"Of course not! He's in love! Hahahahahaha ”Rodrigo was pulled from his thoughts by the statement of Victor, and everyone laughed at his dumb expression, while he became redder by the provocations, and was becoming aware that he really could have fallen in love. Thinking about it, he remembered who had raised the topic in the beginning, and looked annoyed at Luciene from across the table.

They were childhood friends, so Lu knew very well how to provoke him.

He didn't know how many times he had wanted to strangle this unbearable person who was always present in his life. Even as children, she loved to tease his height (he was always much taller than others) or to speak ill of his careful way of doing things, telling scary stories and then playing tricks on him, harming him in games by being discovered or caught quickly.

But his sharp tongue and quick thinking saved him from a lot of trouble before, so in the end he didn't have much to complain about ...

"And then? Are you going to say something or are we going to be curious? ” Nala was already at the end of the chair, leaning across the table towards him and looking with big, shiny eyes. While Rodrigo huddled uselessly in his seat, while he was the center of the group's attention. Even Aline and Juan were curious about the news.

“Okay, okay! Her name is Elise, we met at a cafe last week ... we were reading the same book and started talking. Okay? Satisfied?” he felt her face burn hotly, and hated having to talk in that kind of situation.

“Man, didn't you even get so red when we went to the beach! hahahahaha ”

"Shut up, Temí!" Rodrigo exclaimed, beating his knee on the other's, but as Themistocles was at the tip of the table, he managed to get the legs out of the way, only grazing, then making a satisfied face. It looks like a bad boy, this one!

“Let me know when you introduce her to your parents, I want to be there to see you in shame! Hahahahaha ”Luciene took advantage of the distraction to pin Rodrigo again.

"Unbearable"

"I love you too, bro"

"CHANGING THE MATTER, how's Aunt Suely doing?" Rodrigo exclaimed, trying to change the focus of the conversation.

“True, Lu! You said your mother was sick this afternoon. You ran after the presentation ... I thought you wouldn't even come tonight "Nala turned, touching her friend's arm with concern.

"She is fine now. It was just a weakness caused by the drop in pressure. She has been medicated and is already at home. As my brother had come to spend the weekend, she said not to worry and come and enjoy it. Practically kick me out from home. She sent a hug to everyone ” Despite the banter, Luciene's voice was tired.

It was a long day.

Starting from yesterday, she spent the whole day training her presentation with Victor and had not slept well at night, in the morning it was a complicated period with the company's leadership, pressured for almost 2 hours showing graphs, tables, situational variations and answering questions, and shortly after they were released, she received a call from her younger brother, Matheus, who was going to the hospital with their mother.

It was so much that she only learned later, when she was already with her mother, that they had obtained the approval of the project. Tiredness was already beginning to show. ‘I think I should go soon’, Luciene thought with a sigh.

"I'm glad it wasn't anything serious, send her regards when you go there"

"Yes, I do, Juan." She replied with a smile.

“We should make an appointment there. I love talking to Miss Suely. She always has very particular opinions about films and series ”Diego was a big fan of cinema and loved to debate script and direction. He spent a whole week bothering Luciene when he learned that her mother had studied cinema and acted when she was young.

"Yes, and her food is wonderful!"

“It is a visit, Nala. It's not to play work!” Of course, Themistocles couldn't miss the cue.

"It's going to start ...." Sighed Diego

“I think she will be very happy with the visit. I will talk to her and say the day ” It is better to cut right before they argue again. These two are always pecking! Luciene thought with an amused smile.