POV: Maëva
– Mademoiselle ?
A voice slowly pulled me from my sleep.
I frowned and buried my face deeper into the cushion.
Tac tac!
He took the liberty of touching my shoulder.
I pushed that hand away without even opening my eyes.
– Miss, excuse me.
– Hmmm…
The voice became softer and very close to the ear.
– Dove, you can't stay here all night, the customers are here, will you please get up, do it for me.
I painfully lifted my eyelids and stretched out lengthwise on the sofa
– Rick?
He was standing almost glued to my face, a tray under his armpit.
He had a slight, knowing smile.
"Get your head out of the way," I murmured, at the same time as I pushed his face away in defiance.
I sat up, leaning on one elbow, then looked around me.
The room had changed considerably. Almost all the tables were cleared, and the few people present were talking in hushed tones with large bottles of champagne on their tables.
– Ugh, adults, I'm outta here.
She ran a hand over my face before reaching for my phone in my pocket.
Midnight.
– hum~~~
Seriously ?
Had I been asleep all that time?
The screen lit up with three notifications. My phone was bombarded with messages and obviously missed calls.
Two of them were girls who had suggested I join them earlier. The third was an unknown number.
Nothing from Irene.
I checked a second time, out of habit, then locked the screen.
Okay. He obviously wasn't going to materialize in front of me.
"Would you like a small glass of water?" asked Rick.
I turned my head towards him.
– No, thank you. I'm going to move.
He picked up the empty glass left on the coffee table while I put my shoes back on properly. My back protested as I straightened up. I must have slept in an absolutely ridiculous position.
I retrieved my bag and headed towards the stairs.
The girls had invited me to join them, but I didn't particularly want to spend the evening chasing after someone. What I really needed was fresh air. After several hours in that air-conditioned room, I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to smell something other than artificial cold.
– Damn, I'm going to walk to the very end.
The 20 longest minutes of my life, ha I can't take it anymore, the stairs have grown where What, 2 rows and it's over, who left their steps there, fire on him.
I pushed open the door leading to the roof and a gust of wind immediately greeted me. My hair was thrown against my face. I pushed it behind my ear as I moved forward.
The terrace was also bigger than I remembered.
– I've already been here, when was the last time?
Tables occupied a good portion of the space, while armchairs were arranged near the railing. The city lights stretched out below, with roads dividing the neighborhoods into long, luminous lines.
I stopped for a few seconds to enjoy the view.
– Hey! Maëva!
I turned my head.
A boy had just raised his glass in my direction. He was sitting near a large table, surrounded by several people.
Long white jacket with red lining, an obvious cross on their chest.
It's them.
I approached, slipping my hands into the pockets of my skirt.
– Are you still here?
"Yes," replied one of them. "We thought you had forgotten about us. We came for the sole purpose of running into you."
I rolled my eyes and pulled up a chair.
– ok
A small man with a square jaw pushed a glass towards me, while the girl next to me moved a bottle to free up space on the table.
I took the glass that had been handed to me and twirled it between my fingers. The conversation had already resumed without me.
They were talking about a story, something, but even I wasn't listening to them.
I let out a laugh and leaned back in my chair.
It was always like that with them. A discussion could start on a perfectly trivial subject and end with three people arguing about who was right.
– By the way, has any of you seen Irene?
They were exchanging glances.
"No," murmured the robber.
– I believe he was summoned by the priest.
replied the girl next to her
I put my glass down.
I would have preferred that he had warned me rather than leaving me waiting like an idiot for hours.
The wind had calmed down a bit. It was pleasant on the roof, warm enough to stay outside without constantly seeking cover. A waitress walked between the tables with a tray full of drinks.
She stopped near us, took a few orders and drove off, narrowly avoiding the chair placed right in the way.
And here we go again, the gentlemen in action.
I immediately got up, grabbed my glass and walked away from this pathetic scene where every boy wants to save the beautiful girl.
With one leg tucked under me, I placed my glass on the small table. From here, the view was even bette
r. You could make out the buildings, the neon signs, and the cars driving far below.
– I should go home and wash up.