🌺 Viviane 🌺

I wasn't drinking, because whenever I went out with João Pedro, we took turns driving. Today he could drink as much as he wanted, and I would drive.

I don't have a car, and despite Mr. Rodolfo's insistence on wanting to present me with a vehicle, I could never accept such an expensive gift, and he knew that very well. My parents agreed with me, and I lived off the rides JP gave me, and today we had his car.

My friend had been there at the bar for some time, talking to a guy I didn't recognize, and I thought then that I had already made a new friend, something that always happened. I decided to go to the bathroom and looked at the watch on my wrist to see what time it was. It was after two in the morning, which was my maximum time, and I was going to call João Pedro to leave as soon as I returned from the bathroom.

I called Cecília and Julia, and together we went to the bathroom, which had a huge line to enter. As my friends were each focused on their cell phones, I believe checking messages or social networks, I was then looking around, analyzing the environment.

It was a place we always went to because it was quiet in terms of security and well-attended. Along the hall, many couples were hugging and kissing, some already quite daring I should say.

When I looked closer, I recognized one of the guys who was making out with a woman, who looked very beautiful, from what I could see of her body, because she was dressed in a very short skirt and an even smaller blouse, which barely covered her large breasts.

I was in shock when I recognized the guy, as he was none other than João Felipe, João Pedro's brother.

But how could it? He was in the US! I saw João Pedro in a video call with his brother yesterday. And I heard Felipe say he didn't know when he was coming home yet.

It's been five years since he was living and studying outside Brazil. He had taken several courses since then and only came home every six months. And when that happened, I hardly had any contact with him, as I always did my best not to meet him during his visits.

When he lived in Brazil, I easily avoided him, as our interaction was based on polite greetings when, by chance, we met in the halls of the mansion or school.

“Friend, it's our turn!” Said Julia, pulling me into the bathroom and taking me out of the trance I was in.

Inside, with the scene still engraved in my mind, we each entered one of the reserved rooms and after checking our appearance in the mirror, touching up our lipstick, and fixing our hair, we left the bathroom. This time I avoided looking at where I already knew João Felipe was.

I didn't feel good when I was in his presence, because I didn't like the coldness with which he treated me and avoided putting me in that kind of situation.

I went straight to the bar counter, where João Pedro was, and I approached him saying:

“Can we go? I'm tired and sleepy,” I said, already pulling him to get up from the chair. I didn't want to run the risk of Felipe coming to where we were and having to have any dialogue with him.

“Clear! Yes, we can,” he said, smiling fondly at me, but he didn't get up from where he was.

“Your girlfriend, João?”

The little guy who was talking to him asked, with a slightly angry expression. Something I found quite odd.

“No! Not at all” João Pedro answered quickly. “This is Vivi, my friend since we used disposable diapers. I already told you about her” João Pedro explained.

The explanation seemed to relax the atmosphere, which had become a little tense, I couldn't explain why, and the man ended up laughing at João Pedro's words.

I kept looking at JP, waiting for him to introduce his friend when I realized that they hadn't met there at the club, as I had first assumed.

" Vivi, this is Jack. He is Brazilian but has lived and worked in New York for some years now. We are arranging our next meeting there in the city that never sleeps.”

" Nice to meet you, Jack. Too bad we're already leaving," I said politely, but without really paying attention.

I was quite anxious to leave and right after greeting Jack, we said goodbye to JP's friend and headed toward the table where the rest of the class was. The girls had returned to our table when we left the bathroom, while I was looking for João Pedro.

“You always leave so soon!” Complained Júlia, who was even more excited than she normally was, when we informed her that we were going to leave.

“Early only if it's for you, Julia!” I replied smiling.

Julia always wanted to stay until the last song, and I could never keep up with her. Despite that, she always ended up accompanying me when she realized that João Pedro didn't want to go yet and that I didn't want to stay at the club. On those occasions, I ended up sleeping in the apartment she shared with Cecília.

“But Julia is right. You are always the last to arrive and the first to leave," Cesar agreed, looking at us with a malicious smile.

He had already had several drinks and seemed unaffected, for as usual, he was quite resistant to booze.

“I know that I am someone special and that you always want to be close to me, my loves. But our time to leave has come, and we are leaving. I plan to enjoy a walk on the beach tomorrow,” said João Pedro in a farewell tone.

They would still be at the club, and that was good for them. What I wanted was my bed to rest on and, above all, I didn't want to run the risk of bumping into João Felipe again.

We were about to leave through the club door and when I thought I would manage to avoid having to face the return of the arrogant Felipe today, he approached us, calling for his brother.

“Hey, João Pedro!” He said, pulling his brother into a hug.

“Brother, what a surprise! What are you doing here? When did it arrive?”

João Pedro hugged him back, apparently surprised and delighted to see his brother's mess. I then confirmed that João Pedro also did not know about his return.

“I got home it was around 8 pm, and I went straight to my room to get some sleep. Not even our parents knew I arrived, because they had left and as I saw that you were in your room with your “friend”, I thought it's best to leave it to greet you at another time” he explained mockingly when saying the word “friend”, “When I woke up, I felt invigorated and thought I'd come and enjoy the nightlife in São Paulo. I missed home and the Brazilians.”

“Our parents went to one of those fundraisers they love so much,” JP informed his brother. “But you should have gone to my room, I was very bored.”

“And I'm on medicine for boredom?” João Felipe spoke, arching his eyebrow. “I see you're already leaving. Why so early?”

He could only be being ironic, as it was past two in the morning. It wasn't early at all! I then started to walk slowly toward the exit. It seemed he had gotten even worse, for this time he didn't even deign to compliment me.

João Pedro saw my distance and called me

“Vivi, wait! Aren't you going to talk to João Felipe?” She questioned me with a face of confusion.

He knew damn well we didn't get along, me and his idiot brother. It seemed like he was doing it to piss me off, but I knew he was just trying to smooth things over between us, as usual.

" Where is your education, my brother? Won't you talk to our childhood friend?”

He could only be messing with my face! Or more likely, drunk, to force this interaction between me and the brother.

" Hello, Viviane. How have you been? " Said Joao Felipe, with a cynical expression on his face.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," I replied dryly. " In case you change your mind about leaving, I can call an Uber service, " I threatened, looking firmly at João Pedro.”

"Let's go then," he growled, following me when I started walking again. " Tomorrow we will catch up on matters. Enjoy the ballad, Felipe, since I'm leaving," he said, addressing his brother.

João Felipe just waved and turned around, going back to the part where the dance floor was, towards the bar.

" I can't understand why you can't stand each other! We all grew up together! " João Pedro complained when we got in the car, he was in the passenger seat, and I was at the wheel.

" I'm going to start driving, and you know, I'm always a little nervous behind the wheel. So, I think it's best to close this matter.”

" All good! Once again, I give up trying to understand you two" João Pedro said, laying his head on the back of the bench and closing his eyes. I think he had a lot to drink.