Friday night...

Brooke's exam session was in two months and she had well deserved a little break before her final stretch. She was studying fashion design... But tonight, she had agreed to spend the evening in a bar with her two best friends.

BROOKE : I'm going home soon, girls... I'd like to get up early tomorrow to study.

HALEY : Oh no! It's still several weeks away, relax... You haven't been out for ages.

BROOKE : Exactly, I think the alcohol has gone to my head a little too much...

HALEY : Listen, stay time to bring your alcohol level down, then!

RACHEL : And I'll take you home after!

Her two best friends looked at each other with that look that Brooke knew by heart, they were the tenacious and mischievous type.

RACHEL : Listen, we know better than anyone how painful your breakup with Julian was ... But it's really time for you to try to turn the page and get back to your good habits!

BROOKE : And going out to a crowded bar instead of studying to drink mojitos is what you call a good habit!?

Haley and Rachel both raised an eyebrow at the same time, big smiles on their lips. Brooke laughed too.

RACHEL : Out of curiosity... How long has it been since you slept with a guy, since Julian I mean?

Brooke looked up to protest the indiscretion of her question but also to try to escape it, in vain.

HALEY : Come on answer Brooke!

BROOKE : ...

HALEY : Oh shit, this is even worse than I thought! You're almost a hopeless case! You really need to get back on the market, Brooke! Why not tonight!? Look around you, this is a place full of testosterone and virility! Help yourself...

Again, Brooke rolled her eyes to indicate her disinterest in his proposition.

HALEY : Unless... I'm sure you don't even know how to pick up a guy anymore!

BROOKE : Of course you do! It's just that I'm perfectly fine being single!

HALEY : Except we're not telling you to get in a relationship!

Brooke glared at them even though she loved them more than anything in the world.

HALEY : Come on, just prove to us that you still know how to pick up a guy and we'll stop bothering you!

BROOKE : Never!

HALEY : Are you really turning down a challenge!? Rachel, do you hear that!?

RACHEL : Oh my God, Brooke no! You wouldn't dare do that would you!? Not after such a long friendship...

Here they were trying to play heartstrings now... Their unwavering friendship that went back a long way.

BROOKE : Aren't we a little old, girls!?

Despite her protest, Brooke couldn't help but smile at their teenage antics.

HALEY : You are absolutely right! It's worth making things a little more complicated than what we were doing at the time!

RACHEL : We're not new to this anymore after all...

Haley leaned over to Rachel's ear, and then they both giggled like two little girls on the playground. They then turned proudly to Brooke. Given their mischievous looks and their wicked smiles, Brooke expected the worst.

RACHEL : We're going to pick a target for you!

Rachel, usually more calm than Haley, also seemed excited and exhilarated by this challenge. As Brooke shook her head from side to side, Haley waved her index finger menacingly just under her nose. Brooke wrinkled her nose.

HALEY : Don't give us the verse of "I'm above that, you have to grow up", blah blah blah! You just need to get a cell number and we'll leave you alone, you have our word!

Brooke took a few seconds to weigh her options, Haley and Rachel eagerly awaiting her reaction.

BROOKE : For how long?

RACHEL : A month!?

BROOKE : Six months minimum otherwise there's no point even thinking about it!

HALEY : Come on, let's cut the pear in two and say a term... Plus, we will have finished our exams by then!

Haley's suggestion seemed coherent. Indeed, in three months, it will be summer vacation.

BROOKE : Ok! But I need a drink, first!

RACHEL : Here, finish mine! In the meantime, we're going to choose the mysterious stranger who will soon no longer be mysterious...

Rachel handed Brooke her barely started mojito, already glancing around the room. Brooke took a few sips of the drink, which was already no longer very fresh or thirst-quenching.

RACHEL : Him?

HALEY : Are you crazy?! He's way too short, you could mistake him for a kid lost in the middle of a bar! Him on the other hand... Look.

RACHEL : And I'm the one who's completely crazy!? He's got a bald spot like my grandfather's...

HALEY : Oh, I think I've got him... That one over there, look!?

RACHEL : The guy sitting at the bar with the leather jacket? He's perfect!

Brooke felt the noose tighten around her and she glanced in the direction of the man they were talking about. He was sitting on a high stool but she couldn't see him very well and strangely her self-confidence flew away more and more. Haley and Rachel were snickering like two Machiavellian and overexcited pests that they were! Brooke grumbled while laughing.

RACHEL : It's up to you !

Brooke stood up. Despite the distance, she managed to get a better look at him while standing. He didn't look bad. From what she saw, he had blond and very short hair. At first glance, he seemed to have allure and style.

BROOKE : It's dead girls, he's with his wife! Look...

A girl had just stood up next to him and she touched his shoulder before walking towards the bathroom.

HALEY : In my opinion, she's neither his girlfriend nor his wife! At most a one-night stand or a first date given their proximity...

RACHEL : I'd say his sister, his cousin or a friend...

BROOKE : Uh, but she's still a woman... And a one-on-one!

RACHEL : Oh, come on Brooke! Stop finding any excuse to get out of this! Plus, she left...

No escape possible. Brooke took a deep breath and addressed her best friends just before launching.

BROOKE : It's good because it's you, but I hate you!

Reluctantly, Brooke painfully raised her shoulders, her hands were already sweaty and she rubbed them on her jeans. She moved forward slowly, not really reassured despite the demeanor she tried to give. She even came to regret having accepted the invitation to have let herself be convinced by their ridiculous arguments. Brooke weaved through the customers, careful not to get jostled, she was dying of heat. The atmosphere near the bar was just as friendly and warm, regulars sharing beers and laughing. The distance between her and her target was reduced considerably until she was only a good meter away from him. She stopped. Paralyzed, she glanced behind her and met that of her friends who had their thumbs up in encouragement. Brooke took one last deep breath and she stopped thinking, settling on the stool right next to him. She turned her body towards him in order to catch his attention, her cheeks becoming hot and scarlet. The man looked up, apparently surprised by this intrusion. He looked at Brooke for a few seconds without saying anything...

LUCAS : ...

They looked at each other then and Brooke's heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she swore she could hear it. It was clear that she had underestimated the beauty and charm of her stranger.

LUCAS : Far be it from me to chase you away, but this place is taken, miss. Well, normally...

Brooke didn't understand what he was implying but guessed he was referring to the woman who had left shortly before. His voice was deep and serious but extremely sensual. He had a great effect on her. Brooke shivered in spite of herself. Confused, she looked down and saw the shiny metal of a gold wedding band gleam on her left ring finger. Ready to be sent packing, she began to speak as quickly as possible before that happened.

BROOKE : Good evening ... I assure you, I will not stay long ... There, you will surely take me crazy, if it is not already the case!

She dared to take a look at him. Her gentle gaze and silence encouraged Brooke to continue on her momentum.

BROOKE : In fact, I act under duress.

Lucas' eyebrows rose imperceptibly and his gaze became inquisitive now.

BROOKE : Be discreet... But at ten o'clock behind you, there are two girls, one with brown hair and one with red hair...

Lucas tilted his head gently before casting a discreet glance towards the table in question. Bringing his face and his gaze back to Brooke, his full lips finally sketched a slight smile. He seemed amused by the situation, which would have had the merit of relaxing Brooke if his smile was not so disarming. His white and perfectly aligned teeth illuminated his features and softened his square jaw. His silence and his proximity intimidated Brooke and she took advantage of the fact that he decided to take a sip of his beer to continue.

BROOKE : These two girls, who until now at least were my best friends, gave me an idiotic and childish challenge...

His impassive attitude was both attractive and disturbing. What he gave off was indescribable. He was now playing nonchalantly with the rim of his glass, Brooke felt more and more feverish.

LUCAS : What kind of challenge?

BROOKE : You... You're the challenge.

A mischievous glint now crept into Lucas's interested, bright eyes.

BROOKE : Well, if you could just write me a random series of numbers on a napkin... Something that looks like a cell phone number, actually. You'd save my life and my dignity!

Lucas continued to size Brooke up carefully, she wanted to disappear anywhere... Far, very far away.

BROOKE : If you agree, I could pretend that I managed to charm you in a few seconds... And that I'm so irresistible that you're dying to see me again! And I could be at peace!

Brooke's eyes now fixed on Lucas' hand that continued to play with the rim of his glass. She bit her lower lip.

LUCAS : You don't want my real number ?