Chapter 5

Sophie playfully wiggled her fingers, admiring her fresh manicure, and shifted her weight from foot to foot in an impatient dance. Her vibrant appearance was a head-spinning spectacle. There was not a hint of harmony in it: a pink coat, fluffy like cotton candy, carelessly draped over a deep-necked azure top. Her voluminous skirt, reminiscent of a ballerina's, quivered with each movement. Her golden curls barely touched her shoulders, and her ring-adorned hands and hypnotizing black eyes pierced like an infinite abyss.

Approaching her unnoticed was impossible: she lived in her own world, constantly spinning and shifting her gaze from one object to another. She seemed to be dancing to the dynamic beats of electronic music at a never-ending rave resonating in her head.

Upon seeing Holden, Sophie threw herself into his arms, leaving traces of lipstick on his lips, cheeks, eyelids, and nose.

"Finally, you're here! You can't make a girl wait that long! I was only thinking about you. Where are we going tonight? Oh, I know! There's a club. It's styled like a carnival: girls lifting their skirts on stage, fortune tellers predicting the future, and strong men serving drinks. Let's go there! And if we get bored - we can always leave for another place or go to your place." With these words, she giggled, enticingly ran her nails over Holden's chest, and, pulling him close, led him away.

As they turned the corner, Holden thought he spotted a stranger across the road, whom he had seen the night before in the empty offices. However, Sophie pushed the stranger out of Holden's mind with an endless stream of questions and overwhelming enthusiasm.