It took about 5 minutes, and the response came.
— Let's do it! - João confirmed.
Since Dante was in another city, there was no danger of us running into each other by coincidence, and for the first time, I was going out with my friends, something I had never done until that phase.
The hours flew by, and before we knew it, it was already ten o'clock. We finished all the assignments we needed for the upcoming week and got ready to wait for João since he was the only one with a car.
— Kyra, I brought an all-black outfit with a sheer stoned bodysuit and flared pants, it will look great on you, especially paired with a black bra.
— I think it's beautiful. Go ahead, try it on while I get ready in this lovely Lipo Prada skirt with a lacey black transparent crop top.
— Yeah, girl, we're going to make a statement tonight. - I said, smiling.
— Always, right? We came to town for this, girl!
We finished putting on our clothes and makeup, received the message that João was arriving, and went downstairs to wait for him in front of the apartment.
— Hey, girls! You're totally rocking it tonight. Kyra... Is that really you? My God, girl, who abducted you? - João asked incredulously.
— Lucy did, João. - I smiled, getting into the car.
— Lucy, you worked a miracle. How did you convince Kyra to come dancing with us?
— I don't know, João, I think she must have a fever... She's the one who invited us, which is even stranger! In all this time we've been in college together, she's always declined.
— I remember, friend! There must be something to it. - João said.
— What? I'm curious too. - Lucy said, fully attentive to João's answer.
— They replaced her.
— That's the best conspiracy theory I've ever heard. - Lucy laughed at my expense.
— What? I'm still here, you know? - I retorted.
— Better late than never! - João said.
— Yes, let's not complain... What if she comes back, huh? - Lucy said, laughing heartily.
— I hate you guys! Come on, ladies, tonight is ours!
The ride to the nightclub was pure excitement. We laughed a lot, and they made fun of me, seriously, many times... They're a bunch of rascals, but I love them.
We arrived, João went to park the car, and he asked us to get in line to enter, and he would join us shortly. So, we secured a spot until he arrived. We entered without any problems, got a little table near the bar, and placed our drink orders. Since I was new to this, Lucy helped me choose, then she went to sit with João. I waited for my drink to be prepared in front of the bar, fascinated by the bartender's professionalism. If it were me, I would have dropped everything on the second bottle flip. While I was awestruck by his technique, I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see who was grabbing my attention.
— Nick? - I said, surprised.
— What are you doing here, Kyra? — He asked disapprovingly.
— What do you mean? It's Friday today, I'm celebrating the end of this crazy semester with my friends. Can't I?
— You're not here because of Dante, are you? — He asked suspiciously.
— Why would I be? He's with Lola in another city, isn't he?
— Oh... You might have misunderstood.
— Misunderstood whether he's with Lola or in another city?
— Well...
— Don't worry, Doctor. By all appearances, he broke up with me this morning when he left a note on my kitchen table. — I said, cutting him off.
— Kyra, think carefully. Are you sure he broke up?
— Well, he explicitly told me not to contact him and that he would get in touch when necessary. I'm no longer of use, so just relax and enjoy your night because that's what I'll be doing.
— Won't you regret this? — He tried to persuade me.
— Doctor, I know you're an upright guy and you're trying to mend the situation, but there's nothing to be done. He never liked me; it was just to get back together with Lola.
— I'm not convinced of that.
— But tell me, do you have a girlfriend?
— Why do you want to know?
— Don't worry; it's not about me. In fact, I want nothing to do with men right now.
— I got dumped by my fiancée.
— Ah, I see why you're here. Do you want to have a drink with us?
— Can I?
— Of course. — I said, heading towards the table.
— I'll accept because then I can keep an eye on you.
— Doctor, if I'm going to cause trouble, you won't be able to stop me.
— I'll find a way. — He said, confident that he could.
— I doubt it. — I said, approaching Lucy and João. — Lucy and João, I want you to meet Doctor Nick.
— Hello. — João said with gleaming eyes (I know he found the doctor handsome).
— Hi, how did you guys meet? — Lucy asked, furrowing her brow.
— He's Dante's doctor. — I said.
— Seriously? — Lucy said, rather unenthusiastically.
— Relax, Lucy, he's different from Dante. — I tried to reassure her.
— Everyone is. — Lucy said, getting up and heading to the bar to get another shot.
— Let her judge me; my day's been terrible anyway. At least she didn't throw herself at me because of status or money. I'm tired of that kind of woman.
— What really happened to your engagement? — I asked, trying to help him ease his soul a bit.
— She was having an affair with a lawyer. I went to her apartment earlier today because a patient canceled, and I caught them in bed.
— Did you have her apartment key?
— No, but the caretaker did, and since he knew me, he lent me the spare because I wanted to surprise her. I was the one who got surprised.
— I'm sorry.
I hadn't noticed that Lucy had stopped a few steps away from our table to eavesdrop on Nick's venting.
— Your ex was a jerk. Chin up, Doctor, you deserved consideration, respect, and loyalty, not someone who does the opposite. — Lucy said.
— Oh, so you were curious about what happened to me? — Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.
— Definitely not, but self-confidence helps a lot in times like these. After all, you're handsome; soon you'll be dating a good person again.
— Let me ask you something: with that strong personality of yours, it's likely you don't have a boyfriend.
— I don't have a boyfriend by choice.
— Can I ask why?
— What do you see when you look at me for the first time? — Lucy inquired.
— Appearance?
— Bingo! That's why I'm not dating.
— Let me get this straight, you're not dating because you're beautiful?
Lucy widened her eyes; she surely didn't expect that compliment from him. In fact, she was so defensive that she didn't expect to catch Nick's attention, but apparently, that's exactly what happened.
— Thank you for the compliment, but it's not about whether I'm beautiful or not. Men treat me as if I'm shallow and devoid of intelligence. Then when they start talking to me, they give up because the only thing they really wanted was to take me to bed. — She spoke bitterly.
— Interesting way of thinking. — Nick said.
— João, let's leave these two to talk; we're ruining the mood here. — I whispered.
— Let's go, friend.
João and I left quietly, and they didn't notice. We went back to the bar, and I got another drink; João, as he was driving, got sparkling water.
— Friend, what a scoop... But the man is handsome. Hope they sort things out.
— Can you imagine? Am I not a great cupid?
— Seriously? Did you do it on purpose? — João said incredulously.
— Yes! He's very nice, and so is Lucy. He was really worried about me at the bar, telling me not to do anything foolish.
— Love it...
— Now it's your turn, right? Haven't you found a cute guy you like?
— Well, I'm not on the lookout today. I want to spend time with you guys.
I noticed a well-built man in a black jacket, light blue jeans, and a black V-neck T-shirt who couldn't stop looking at João.
— João, have you seen this handsome guy in the black jacket at the end of the bar?
— Who, friend? — João said, looking around.
— Pretend you didn't see me. He's been staring at you.
— No way, it must be all in your head.
— Let's do this: I'll pretend I'm going to the bathroom, and you stay here at the bar, sipping your sparkling water as if you're not interested. If he approaches you, you'll have to enjoy the evening, of course, if he's single.
— Obviously, friend. Deal! — João said, smiling.
I headed towards the bathroom and hid behind a column. It didn't take 5 minutes; the man approached João and started talking to him. João looked back searching for me, found me, and smiled at me. I smiled back, saying, "I won."
Now everything was set... I wasn't very good at my own love life, but I was excellent at bringing people together. "I'm amazing! Dante can struggle to find someone like me." — I smiled, satisfied.
— Kyra, you must be proud of your triumph, right? — A deep voice said next to me.