In the dance floor, Paloma was burning with jealousy looking at Lucas cozying up with Isra. The bitch. Where the bloody hell did she come from? Her attempt to make Lucas jealous didn’t seem to work despite the effort with Andrew. The combination of alcohol and resentment did not go well in her head. She started feeling dizzy. She felt throwing up. She squirmed from Andrew’s arms and hurried towards the restrooms.

She closed the door behind her and rushed to a cubicle. Sweat and tears ran down her cheeks as she hunched over the toilet bowl, vomiting. She could hear the door squeaked open as the clatter of heels walked in and she could hear her friend Alma calling her name.

“Paloma, are you okey dear?” Alma's voice echoed from behind.

She only managed to reply with a disappointed grunt as she belched out again.  

“I’ll be here.” Alma said as she hummed to a tune as the sound of the running faucet echoed through the halls as Paloma emptied her stomach over and over again. When the last expulsion came out, she reached for the toilet paper and wiped her face.

“Shit! You look horrendous!” Alma remarked as Paloma swung herself out of the cubicle.

“Bloody hell, I know.” Paloma bend to the faucet as she washed her face. At least she felt better. She sighed. Throwing up made her feel sobber a bit but it didn’t mend her broken ego.

Alma shoved her bag to her and looked at her sternly, “You’re going to kill yourself for Lucas, you know. Why don’t you just take Andrew seriously? He seemed to be head over heels with you. Why keep barking at the moon? You already have a man madly in love with you.”

Paloma rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. I tried. But I just can’t love anyone else but Lucas.”

“Look, Lucas don’t see you as his girlfriend material. I mean, he treats you like his own sister. I don’t think that will ever change."

“You want a bet?” Paloma smirked as she dried her face with tissue paper. 

“No need.” Alma smirked back shaking her head. “You will lose definitely. But one thing you can bet on, Andrew loves you. I think you need to just look at the man. Before he gets feed up with you, take him seriously now.”

Paloma ignored her. She never loved Andrew. She liked him as a friend with benefits. Sure, nobody from all the men she dated can match the sex she gets out of him but they were surficial. And she knew Andrew felt the same. She sighed as she fixed her make- up with Alma’s kit.

 Alma looked at her thoughtfully. “I think Lucas is in love with that beauty, the way he looks at her, the body language was too obvious. What’s her name? Isar? Sira? Whatever.” She smirked as she crossed her hands on her chest. “Isra?”

Hearing that, Paloma smashed the foundation to the sink in fury. The powder from the container scattered into a mess in front of her. “Fuckin’ don’t mention her name! You, bloody cunt!” Paloma was panting looking at Alma like she was going to eat her alive.

Alma took a step back shocked and raised her hands “Whoah, hold it! Hold it! I’m sorry..." Alma's eyes widened as she glared back "What the hell, Paloma? Really? Are you going to charge on me for telling the truth?”

“Just don’t.” Her voice quivered as she pointed a finger on Alma's face, as tears started to well around the corners of her eyes. “You don’t know how much that bloody woman is making me miserable right now.” She couldn’t help it. Tears rolled down her cheeks. 

Alma took her bag and put all the clutter back inside. “You know, why you are miserable, right? It’s your choice, Paloma.” She said as she walked out of the door leaving Paloma nailed to her feet. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Black mascara smudged around her bloodshot eyes.  What’s wrong with you, Paloma! she screamed inside her head. No! There is nothing wrong with me. Lucas is mine. Only mine. You are beautiful, Paloma. Yes. You and Lucas should be together. You were inseparable. At the end of all this, it’s going to be you and him. That's a promise. She straightened up as she wiped tears from her face. She won’t give up. Never.

****

Isra and Lucas were on their third round of cocktail drink as their conversation shifted from one topic to another. They talked about her unforgettable documentary filming experiences, to Lucas artistic endeavors, to music and poetry. Apparently, they share mutual interests on each subject. Lucas was delighted to find out how much Isra knew about art and her affection towards Spanish painters like Francisco Goya, Luis Royo, Remedios Varo  and writers such as Gabriel Garcia- Marquez and Miguel Cervantes. Despite the chaos around them, they seemed to have drifted into another world where only two of them existed. He loved every sound of her voice, the way her eyes sparkled when she was delighted, the way her lips pursed- every bit of her. He ached to kiss her, hug her, make her his. But he will wait. He will be patient.

Franco attempted to grab Isra into the dancefloor, many times as Paloma and other girls tried to get Lucas. But they got refused. She and Lucas decided to moved to the corner away from the crowd and continued talking. Andrew's girl cousin heckled a chat with them when Franco came again, inserting himself between Isra and the girl. He was listening to the other girl talking about inviting Isra to her coffee shop in Gibraltar. In a swift, he wrapped a hand around Isra’s shoulders and planted a wet kiss on her cheeks at the corners of her mouth. Isra eyes widened as she squirmed away from his hold but he locked her with his other arm. "Just one kiss for my birthday!" he teased as Isra cowled her head attempting to wriggle herself free but Franco only got more aggressive. 

Lucas got up. “No, no, Franco, spare her out.” He said as he lifted Franco’s arm and grabbed Isra by the waist until she was behind him and he could tell the disappointment in Franco’s eyes.

“Amigo, hey, I thought you’re my friend.” Franco laughed as he shoved Lucas on the shoulders. “Don’t be such a joy-killer!”

 “I think we should go.” Isra spoke from behind.

Lucas glanced back at her solemnly. “Yeah, I think we should.” He took her hand and went to Andrew who was talking to one of the girls at the bar. “Andrew, we should be going. We have a long day tomorrow. Thanks for the food and drinks. Congratulations for your new branch.” He said as he waved a hand to the rest.

“Oh, our pleasure, Lucas Madiera. It was an honor. Oh please. Do as you wish.” He said as he shook his hand.

Isra thanked Andrew as well and Lucas took her outside. “Can you give me a second? I’ll just say goodbye to Frank.” Isra nodded. 

She didn’t know what she was doing there, why she was willing to wait for Lucas. She could have just gone back to the hotel herself. She watched nervously as Lucas approached Franco who was busy chatting with the girls and Paloma who shot a distasteful glare towards her. Franco was shaking his head when Lucas whispered something into his ears. At the end, they both high-five and hugged each other as Franco kiddingly jabbed Lucas’ chest. And he walked back to her smiling.

“Let’s go?” he said as he took her hand. 

Isra nodded in silence. As much as she wanted to resist, she liked the warmth and security of his hand holding hers. Is this really happening to me? What am I doing right now? This is not me! She felt worried. Her mind was confused. It felt good. Everything felt good with Lucas.

"What did he say" Isra asked.

"He apologised. He thought you'd be a sport about it." He chuckled.

 They strolled towards the hotel in silence in the chilly autum night. The silhouette of his face looked so divine under the street lights.

 “I booked a room here too. I figured out it would be late to drive back home.” He said, half- glancing on her as they walked.

 “Good. It will be risky to drive back.” She smirked. She felt relieved at the thought. 

They reached the elevators, still holding hands. She was not resisting anymore. She loved the feeling. Or was it because of the alcohol? Whatever it was, she was enjoying it at the moment, fearlessly.

They walked out of the elevator towards the hallway. Their rooms happened to be in the same floor with only two rooms between each other, with Isra’s room at the end of the hallway. When they reached her door, Lucas pulled her close. So close that their chests were touching. Too close that they could hear their labored breaths. He smiled nervously at her. Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment, in silence, their lips only an inch away were anticipating. 

 “Can I kiss you?” Lucas whispered as he swallowed a lump in his throat. 

Isra smiled. She felt powerless. She felt naïve. She lost all her guards in the entrancing magic of his gaze. She didn't care anymore. She wanted to kiss him. She nodded. And with that, Lucas’ lips curved into a smile as he bent his head to met her quivering lips with his. She let it lingered as long as he wanted. She won’t hold back. She didn’t know if it was the right decision, but she loved how good he felt. His lips captured hers in soft caresses and she couldn’t help but give back and their caress became passionate. She let his tongue explored hers as they swayed back and forth in pure delight. So good. He felt so good. She was lightheaded as she tried to grab the hips of his pants for support, as he moaned softly from her touch. Everything about him felt so good. But was she ready for the consequence?

            She was almost panting when she broke the kiss. A sudden surge of guilt and regret swept through her. Am I doing the right thing? Lucas eyes looked so dreamy and passionate. No, I shouldn’t give in to this temptation. No more than this.

           “We should rest now." Her eyes squinted at him. "Thank you for everything, Lucas.” She said as she freed her hands from his grasp.