Despite Niccolo being somewhat of a scatterbrain, I must admit that his words ring true. However, I do not want to create some false hope from Heidi's actions. I had enough of that when we were children. I do not fancy to have my heart broken once again, thank you very much!
However, a traitorous part of my mind – vicious little thing that does nothing but send orders and instigate feelings – cannot help but think 'what if…'. There are no 'what if', you! It is or it is not!
As I grumble and fight with my own wits, Heidi appears together with an unassuming man. The enemy! I stop myself from frowning as sudden tumultuous rage swells up inside me, seeing them merrily chatting and laughing. Why are they so close?!
"Aldo! Good, you're not gone." What is that supposed to mean, Heidi? You doubt me?! "This is Raphael, one of the group members. He's relatively new. Lives close by and…"
"Geez, tell him my phone number and ID, too." The man, Raphael, rolls his eyes and exasperatedly looks at Heidi. Hey, hey, hey! No one but me can cut her off like that! You should be kissing the ground she walks on, not roll her eyes at her! Ungrateful little dimwit!
Heidi just laughs it off. You're too pure for this world, darling. "Sorry, it's been a while since I last saw Aldo, I'm nervous." What?
"Well, of course. It's not everyday you can hang out with a superstar." The Raphael guy chuckles, though there is some kind of edge to the sound. Oh… So, it's like that… I'm not disappointed. I expected this.
"Right? Well, there's a place nearby that serves good food and the drinks are cheap." Heidi readily agrees and gestures for us to follow her. I do not even bother to glance at the third wheel and step behind her. I am relieved to know the place is near because I did not want to give him a ride in my car.
Heck, not even my ex-girlfriends were able to ride on my car. That honor (if things go as I want) will be given to Heidi.
Not even five minutes later, we reach the door of what seems to be a bistro. When we enter, the waiters and the person from the bar receive us warmly. They even strike up a conversation with Heidi and the other man, asking how the first function went, making it obvious that Heidi is a frequent costumer and the others know what she does.
As Heidi does some small talk with one of the waitresses, I look around the interior of the bistro.
I have to accept that the atmosphere is nice and gives off a feeling of being at home. The decoration was simple yet chic. The space was not big, yet the tables were well-distributed. There were even booth seats that looked very private, what with the screens separating them from the general area. We headed to one of them.
After sitting, the same waitress that talked with Heidi approaches us to take our order once we peeked at the little menus already placed on the booth. Some of the dishes sound nice and the price is incredibly cheap, in my not very humble opinion. After all, I am used to pricier places. I can obviously afford it. But going to local bistros once in a while does not seem so bad.
As soon as I open my mouth to place my order, the other man beats me to it.
"The usual, Linda, but for three."
"Right away!" The waitress cheerfully replies and walks off. Wait! What's the usual? And why didn't this woman ask Heidi and I if we were ok with it?! I have allergies you know! Allergies to pigheaded men who try to flex in order to impress a woman.
"I'll go get us some drinks." Then, the guy stands up and walks to the bar. What's happening here?!!
My rage grows to exponential levels until it vanishes when I feel someone poking my side. I turn to look at Heidi, who is sitting beside me, and raise a brow in askance. "The usual is a tray of chicken wings accompanied with three sauces and a salad as a side dish. Sorry about that. If you want to order something else, I can call Linda." She says.
Her apologetic expression makes my anger fully vanish. Just for you, darling, I forgive the unpleasant man that looks more and more like a blobfish in my eyes. Leaning my head on my hand, I handsomely grin at her. "It's fine. Whatever you eat, I'll eat. Didn't we promise that when we were children?"
A tentative smile appears on her face. I cannot blame her; it had been a more serious promise. 'My life is yours. Your life is mine. Whatever happens, we'll be together forever.'. We might have been copying a scene from a movie we watched, but we still did it. It was real to me. At that time, we also…
A tray clattering on the table startled us. "I managed to convince Lawrence to give us a gin bottle. I also got a bottle of juice, soda and sparkling water." Raphael happily announced, transferring the stuff from the tray to the table.
"Oh, that's so nice of him! I'm gonna prepare the drinks, then!" Heidi volunteers and starts to expertly open bottles and cans, to then mix them in the glasses and hand them out. I sit perplexed at the fluid moves. Was she some sort of pro bartender? I dumbfoundedly hold my glass and raise it when the other two do.
"Cheers!"
As soon as they gulp down the first glass in one go, the guy starts preparing the next round. While doing so, they strike up a conversation about the play. I feel somewhat like an outsider as they talk about things that happened during rehearsals and even acting techniques spring up.
I can safely say that I do well in acting. I act in my own music videos after all! Yet what transpires in front of me is like peering into a whole different world. Is Reggie like that when he meets up with Dayton? Both are actors, so it is a possibility…
Hearing Heidi laugh and talk nonstop feels like when she used to play with the other boys in our class while I just stood by the side. Me, too! I really want to get into the conversation so she also looks at me, but my mind feels as if it has stopped working. I heavily sigh and just wait for the food to arrive as it seems today will not be my night.
"Aldo." A heavenly voice. Is it an angel? "Aldo." Again. You have not forgotten me, right God? You even sent an angel to talk with pitiful me. "Aldo!"
"Ouch! What was that for?!" I rub the back of my head, feeling some kind of déjà vu.
"You were muttering some words and didn't hear me when I was talking to you." Heidi's voice is as frivolous as before, but what she does next changes from what she used to be. She slightly rubs my head to sooth the pain and looks at me with apologetic eyes.
The blobfish man looks at the scene with surprised eyes, and that raises my confidence to the sky. In your fishy face! She'll never do this for you! I take advantage of the situation and grab her hand.
"I was just thinking about some things. By the way, I loved your acting. How is it that you haven't been on TV in some drama or movie? With your talent, it would be easy for you to do so. I can talk to some people at my company to scout you." She tries to pull her hand, but I just hold it tighter so she is not able to get away from me.
I am a bit disappointed by her calm expression though. One step at a time, Aldo, one step at a time. You cannot rush this.
"I prefer the direct contact with the people who see me acting. See their reactions, hear the applause of the audience, it gives you a feeling of being alive, and that everything is very much real." Her eyes sparkle as she speaks that I cannot help the smile that forms on my lips.
Since when has she been this deep? You may have few charms, Heidi, but you never stop to amaze me. Is that maybe your most important charm? Our little bubble of happiness breaks when the woman who took our order comes back with the food. Heidi takes the chance to pull away her hand from my grip.
Once the food is distributed, we begin digging in. I have never been a picky eater, so whatever got into my mouth I thought it was delicious. The conversation does not go further from complimenting the food since we are busy filling up our bellies either with food or with alcohol.
I have to admire her impressive resistance to alcohol. After quite a number of glasses, she seems as lucid as if she has not drunk a drop of alcohol.
Meanwhile, the blobfish man has his face completely flushed. Just go back to the sea and, maybe, with some luck just drown. Between random comments and more alcohol, the man starts talking rubbish to which Heidi just laughs.
"But seriously Heidi, I never thought that you would be friends with Aldo Greco here." He says that so loud that I panic for a bit. I do not want to be scolded by my manager again for going out with a woman!
Fortunately, there are not many people and the other customers are as drunk as this man in front of me. Heidi catches my expression and quickly changes the topic. Luckily, the blobfish gets baited -ha!- and follows the conversation. Conversation that flows all over my head because…
Why's Heidi this beautiful?...
Why's Heidi such a bad woman?!
Why's Heidi such a perfect woman?...
Just look at her…
Heidi… If I were a god, I'd get you to my temple and… Hehehe… I'd definitely paint you with my own hands… Place you on the canvas and immortalize you there…
"C'mon, Raphael, you're already drunk. I think it's time for us to go home." She takes the blobfish's drink from his hand, and he just nods obediently. Ha! Lame guy can't hold his alcohol… We gather our stuff and leave after paying. Woah, those lights are so bright! "Aldo, I have to take him to his house. Will you be able to get back safely?"
What're you saying Heidi? I won't let you leave with the rival. You're my muse, my goddess, so I won't let you escape.
"Let's go together."