14

The girl led Azad to the venue's bar, down by the casino. Her name was Yana, and she ordered a concoction of non-alcoholic drinks for him to cool off, which he sipped gladly. It was a sweet, yet bitter tasting mixture, and it lured Azad back to his senses, somewhat, as he looked upon the sweet face of the girl who had saved him.

"You were pretty fucked up," she went, "waving your arms around like a rabid fangirl." For a girl who Azad had maybe whacked in the face, she seemed pretty cool about it. Then she brought a tissue over to Azad's brow, where he had been profusely sweating.

That love pill he took was a wild ride! (It wasn't over yet..)

"Sorry.. if I hit you," Azad said. "That dance was something else, huh?"

"It sure was! And seemed like you were really gettin' into it, if I might add. Don't you just love dancing?"

The question seemed to not register on Azad, as he eyeballed Yana – her femme features, her being in a leather jacket which seemed to adorn her figure. This was a nice girl, and he started feeling his head swirl, like already he was falling in love all over again. Was it the love pill in his system?

"Waaait," she said. "I think.. you're Azad, right? The guy who did that glittering dance-off in Madrid?"

"Gee, how did you guess."

"There's no mistaking your eyes." She was gazing at him, her cheek perched upon her hand. "Passionate.. affectionate.. those words that come to mind when I look at you. Why aren't you up there with them?"

"Oh, cause I had to study. Going into film and all that."

"Really?" The girl stood up and then she made a pose, in front of him. "Think I can act for one of your films?"

Azad laughed. "Maaybe. Think I'll have a character written up, just for you. I'll call her Eliza, and she'd be the crush of every man's dreams, no joke."

After he took the last sip of her concoction, Azad was taken in by all the slot machines, the people who bet on roulette, or getting snake eyes over craps. The excitement of having a massive win over chance.

"You'll have to get chips if you wanna play," she told him.

So, throwing his cares to the wind, Azad bought 1,400 euros of chips. He went for the first slot machine that was there, one with a giant spinning pizza on top, and put in a few chips..

The machine spat out a pizza, a pizza, and a blank that almost landed on Big Chungus.

"Goddamn, man!" Azad fumed and kicked the machine that seemed to taunt him with its chiming noises.

"Calm down – it's just your first roll," Yana went.

"What a ripoff, let's play a real game."

It was a game of craps. There were players already so invested into the game, watching the red dice explode upon the table, and so many people watching – whether the gamblers win or lose. It carried all the spark of an LCS game, and soon, after watching the people play, Azad was able to deduce the rules for himself, and was standing by, with the dealer handing him the dice.

"There's a 1,000 minimum buy-in," the dealer went, and Azad handed him his one and only 1,000 chip, glimmering under the light. And as Azad picked up the dice, his hands quivering as he did so, Yana held him by the shoulder – and everything was alright.

He let the dice go, and it was in slo-mo that one of them landed as a five, and the other..

"We've got yo-leven!" the dealer announced. "Yo-leven, that's a winner!"

Azad had his mouth agape. The feeling was truly out of this world, as his heart rushed in ecstasy, as everyone was jumping up and down, and the dealer paid him back in nine 1,000 chips.

"Dude..!" Azad had almost fumbled the chips from his grasp, as he couldn't help trembling. How much money was $9,000? A lot. He could finally upgrade his PC at home, and not feel guilty about it. Or better yet, get himself a goodly camera.. "Know what, I'mma cash out," he went, "before I bust my entire left nut on this place."

He had the money wired to his account, and as a token of appreciation, he bought Yana a drink by the bar.

"Oh, you didn't have to.." she went, almost like a whisper. "Azad, you're so sweet."

"It's no problem."

Yana sipped the martini, and as she finished the glass, she gave the bartender a knowing wink, as she said something in Russian to him. The bartender smiled, turning his attention to the other patrons.

What? Azad felt confused.

"I'll get something straight with you," she said, noting his look. "I work here. It's my job to look after people, make sure they're havin' a nice time and everything. So if you've any feelings for me.."

It relieved Azad; there had been something nagging him at the back of his mind as to why she was being this nice to him. But he had sworn himself to Amarna, not wanting his heart pulled out in two different directions.

"No, not at all," he said. "I'm just.. I really wanted to thank you, for what you did. Who knows where I'd have ended up? There should be more girls like you, honestly."

"How flattering."

"I already.. have someone," Azad admitted. "The lioness who was up on the stage. That was her who I've danced with, a year ago. It's just.. things have gotten complicated lately-"

"She's kinda hot, isn't she?" Yana's frankness was like a breath of fresh air, cutting through Azad's underlying unease. "That's why you were oogling her by front stage."

"Now she's got this other guy, behind my back. And she expects me to go into an open relationship with the dude. I don't blame other guys for wanting to be in her orbit – only, what about loyalty?"

She scoffed. "Don't go spilling your relationship problems onto me. Who knows what I might do with it? I'm a stranger, Azad. Only a stranger.."

There was something in the air, which verged on being magical, that Azad found it harder and harder to ignore. As he spoke with her, he found himself drawn into the equanimity of the woman – this beautiful stranger – with an unexplainable desire of holding her in his arms.. embracing her lips with his mouth. As though in confiding his heart with her, he was on the verge of entering some great woods, dark and enticing and humming full of mystery.

But she was right. He didn't know her at all. It was saddening to think of all those connections you might have had in life, if only things had played out different. A forlorn look crept into Azad's eyes, like he had woken up to not knowing where his life was really taking him.

"Don't feel so bad, Azad," she said. "You're still young.. and first relationships, they tend to leave you disappointed, yet when look back, you can't help smiling."

"She's not my first," he went. "Just my first time that I ever cared."

"It's good to know you still have a heart." Yana put down her empty glass, before going closer to Azad – enough to whisper into his ear. "If things really go so bad with that girl, do yourself a favour. Save yourself, and escape before you grow cynical."

She smelled of musk, and her neck was warm – he felt her hands over his back, in a delicate embrace, and in the peace he felt with her, Azad closed his eyes, tranquil.

Yana.. thank you..

Then Amarna came by, after having wandered the venue in search of Azad. The idealist in her had least expected him here, but there he was, by the bar, disheveled, in what seemed to be a drunken embrace with another girl. He was a fucking slob, a womanizer. Was that what her relationship with him was, all along? Just another girl to put his dick into?

The shock of it made her nerves tingle. A hundred fears pouring through her, like the rug had slipped and there were spiders crawling out..

"AZAD!" It came out like a scream, bursting from her lungs. Amarna rushed towards him, only wanting his hands off that woman. With surprising will, she peeled Yana off onto the floor, and pummelled Azad with her fists in her outrage. "Que cabron, gilipollas del culo—!"

"Amarna! It's not- I was-"

"Going to take her to a room and fuck her? Is that it?"

Beneath, Azad lay trembling and repentant, feeling the weight of her body laying upon him – her trembling breath carrying traces of that marijuana tang. "I was high on drugs, and she saved me.. that's all. Please believe me, Amarna." She wouldn't have raged hard if she didn't really care.. wait, that doesn't sound right.

She had her hands lain upon his chest, and then she stared into his eyes, apologetic. "Sorry Azad, I don't know what's come over me. This isn't the way I should act. I've been.."

She got herself off Azad, right as the security staff came by, with Yana re-brushing her tangled hair.

"Get that lioness out!" Yana said.

"No, no – wait, it's fine-" Azad helped Amarna up. He quickly thought of an excuse. "My girlfriend got so worked up after the dance.. she's calm now."

"Next time she'll be getting the boot, first thing. Don't cause any more trouble to our venue."

Alex had only watched the last moments of the argument, starting with hearing Amarna's screeches. He'd never heard her so upset like this. As he rounded the corner, he saw the image of Amarna, poised upon Azad on the floor - the tension from them almost filling the room with silence. It was surely the same side to her that he'd only seen hints of, from her history as a sex worker, and when he heard the muffled intimacy in her room that one night.

It piqued him. To now, he looked up to her, more like an older sister that he never had than anything - and now he wasn't so sure what to feel. But he sensed it was better to keep his mouth shut about it, as the night was soon to be over, and they were on the drive back home.

Amarna woke up – her legs soaking in icy sweat, despite the summer night's warmth. She could not get rid of the feeling of an impending hell from her dreams. The dark clouds inevitably rolling in, and those bulging arms, waiting for her with a spiked collar in his grasp..

Usually, it helped not looking at the clock, so there was no guilt worrying about the time left to dream, but something in her was so restlessly stirred. Not even a sip of water was enough to soothe her nerves.

She went to Alex's room, slowly inching the door open, as to not wake him. He was sprawled upon his bed, snoring, and she envied him for how relaxed he was. The blanket though wasn't covering his body fully, so Amarna slid his blanket over, before leaving the room, with one last mournful look back. She'd let him know in the morning.

The drive over to Azad's house – when most everyone was sleeping, was like visiting a ghost-town. It was something she'd hardly done; maybe a few times, when she was young, and secretly went off to see a friend in the night. She parked her van a block away, and when she got out, the trees whispered to each other under the night's breeze, making her shudder.

She was able to make out the bare outlines of his home, under the lamps; it had been months, but by their backyard, she remembered the joviality of their new year's celebration.

Azad's room was by the corner. She climbed onto the perch, and it was easy to do so, and when she peered into his window, saw the glow of his phone – and thought that he was still awake(!).

She rapped on the glass. "Azad?"

But no, his phone was just charging, and he was in bed. Amarna tried again, a little harder.

He grumbled himself awake, and saw a shadowy figure, awaiting just outside. "Whaa.." His eyes were playing tricks on him, that was for sure. He'd gotten into a serious argument with his parents upon returning home, and they saw how disheaveled he looked – but moreso, that he had an big transaction pending on his account.

It left him so weary, that all he wanted to do was forget everything by tomorrow, and now – he wondered if this was one of his dreams.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"The spirit de la noche," she went, trance-like. "Checking up on you. Open your window, please."

When Azad did, she slunked into his room, careful and silent, and in the shadows, she hugged him closely. Above all, it was comforting to feel someone's warmth in the night's loneliness.

"Amarna..?"

She didn't answer – only lured Azad to the bed, where she laid down with him, and with her hands, felt his bare body all over, stroking his chest, his neck and back – while kissing him with the fervent feeling of love. And soon, she forgot that she had woken from a nightmare.. only knowing a blissful sleep which she'd coaxed Azad into sharing with her.