The Company

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Estimated reading time: about 34 minutes


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"In a way I might be guilty... I saw you dancing from there and recognised you."

Said Carlos pointing to the first balcony briefly turning his gaze away and then locking it back onto Adelia's hazel eyes. She remained silent, now overcome with embarrassment. He seemed to understand this so he continued.

"You dance really well, you're a party animal."

"I studied dance as a child"

'That's the smartest thing you could think of to say?' shouted the girl internally.

"Yeah well it doesn't explain you being an animal, with all due respect"

"The alchol definitely helped."

Adelia melted a little as she saw the genuine smile widen on Carlos's face. His eyes travelled behind the girl's back, towards his friends.

"This is Nilde and Gioele. This is Carlos."

"Your travelling companions I presume."

The three shook hands awkwardly.

"It's not often that I need introductions honestly" he said scratching his head "not that it's a problem of course, just an observation" he hurried to add so as not to sound arrogant.

"Listen why don't you come up to the balcony with us? It's pure chaos down here, you can't talk."

Adelia opened her eyes wide in amazement and immediately turned questioningly towards her friends, who had already passed her to follow the driver, smiling.

"Sorry it's just that we're not obsessed with formula one like Adelia" Nilde said sarcastically as she positioned herself beside Carlos.

"Adelia I assume is you."

He said, turning in the girl's direction and lowering his gaze to her height, waiting for her to start walking as well. He added something about it not being a problem, then looked back at Adelia curiously but said nothing more.

He led them off the dance floor, towards the stairs leading to the upper floors, the balconies of the old theatre. Adelia imagined for a moment that more than a hundred years had passed since important aristocrats used the same stairs to reach their family balconies, with their fine clothes ready to attend ballets and operas, and now there were couples making out in the corners and drunk people. She laughed.

"Guys this is Adelia, Nilde and Gioele."

The boy announced in Spanish once they had entered the small private room. There were not even a dozen people inside, who greeted some with a nod of the head or hand, others with a "Hey" accompanied by a smile. The only ones to approach were two boys.

"Hi, pleased to meet you, he's Guzman and I'm Roberto."

"Roberto! Roberto Merhi!" Adelia added simultaneously, opening her eyes and mouth wide. What were the chances of meeting not one, but two pilots on the same day? Apparently enough to make it happen.

"Is there anyone you don't know?"

Gioele rolled his eyes, once again confused, as if he were in a parallel universe where the famous people were no longer singers and actors but these strangers. Carlos burst out laughing, laying a pat on Roberto's shoulder.

"You brought a fan I see."

"I think so although the words she has reserved for me so far are so few that I had to get her name from her friends"

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