It had already been a few minutes since Hugo started talking to Jessica, and honestly, things were going way better than he expected.
She was already a little tipsy, which made the whole conversation a lot easier. On top of that, Hugo was using the words Sanchez had carefully prepared for him, and they were working like magic.
His charm ga had been upgraded from a complete disaster to almost smooth.
Jessica was laughing, leaning in close, her eyes glowing, and Hugo couldn't help but feel like he was finally getting sowhere.
She was starting to look really good under the low lights of the Velvet Inferno. And Hugo, being Hugo, couldn't stop imagining how tonight might end.
He started thinking things like, 'Maybe I could get her to co back to my dorm... or... her dorm... whatever works. Maybe skip the dorms entirely.'
But just as he was getting carried away, he snapped himself out of it. 'Focus, Hugo. You're not there yet.'
Trying to act cool, he casually called the bartender over. "Hey, man. I'll have a drink," Hugo said, giving the guy a friendly nod.
He figured a drink might give him the courage to make his move.
The bartender, however, was a problem. The guy gave him an almost evil grin that looked like he was up to no good.
"Sa as last ti?" he asked, his voice dripping with an annoying kind of smugness.
Hugo, not wanting to seem weak, nodded. "Yeah, sure."
The bartender's grin stretched wider. "And would you like to leave a tip?"
Hugo's blood boiled. 'This guy's a pain in the neck. Is he trying to take advantage of in front of Jessica?'
Still, Hugo kept his cool. "No, thanks. Not tipping trouble."
The bartender's grin faltered for a split second, but then he gave a sneer and walked off to prepare Hugo's drink.
Hugo, on the other hand, was already going through a ntal checklist. 'Is it just , or does this guy look like the villain in a bad spy movie? Whatever. Just ignore him.'
Turning back to Jessica, he continued their conversation. "You know, Jessica," he said smoothly, "a guy should always support his girl's dreams, right? I an, it's important to have your own thing going, but a guy should always be there to back her up, you know?" He smiled, leaning in a bit for effect.
Jessica seed to like that, nodding seriously. "Exactly. That's what my last boyfriend didn't get. He thought I should drop everything for him, but I had a tennis career to focus on."
'Uh-huh, I get it,' Hugo thought, but didn't say it out loud. Inside, he was thinking, 'Yeah, man, I totally get why you bailed. Lily is the sa way. She is always busy with volleyball, no ti to hang out, let alone, well, you know...'
But Hugo didn't say any of that. Instead, he just nodded like a wise philosopher and kept the conversation rolling.
"Right? If a guy really cared, he'd want you to chase your dreams, even if it ant less ti with him. If you're gonna be with soone, you should be able to have your own thing."
Jessica's eyes softened. "Yeah, exactly. But it's hard, you know? Sotis it feels like I have to choose between my career and a relationship."
Hugo smiled. 'Well, this is going better than expected. Ti to test the waters.'
The bartender ca back with the drink and handed it to Hugo, who took it without missing a beat.
"Thanks, man," he said, taking a large gulp, hoping the drink would calm his nerves before he made his move. He felt a little braver with the liquid courage flowing through him.
But then, just as Hugo was about to ask Jessica if she'd like to leave with him, sothing hit his tongue like a sledgehamr.
His eyes widened. 'What the—?'
His tongue was burning. 'Oh, no...' He didn't want to show it, but it felt like soone had dipped his tongue in lava. 'That son of a—'
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'The bartender. That sneaky jerk. This demon is ssing with !'
Trying to hold it together, Hugo forced himself to swallow, his face starting to twitch, but he kept his poker face. "Yup, just... perfect." He said it through clenched teeth, his insides screaming. I'm dying here!
Jessica raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"
Hugo cleared his throat and wiped his mouth, acting like nothing was wrong. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... uh... got a little too into the conversation."
He gave her a nervous laugh, hoping she wouldn't notice how much pain he was in.
He felt like his mouth was on fire, but he kept the smile plastered on his face. 'Keep it together, Hugo. You're so close.'
"So, Jessica," he said, trying to act casual, "I was thinking... maybe after we finish up here, you'd wanna co hang out? We could, like, go for a walk or... chill sowhere more private." He ntally patted himself on the back. 'Smooth, Hugo. Real smooth.'
Jessica looked at him thoughtfully, then smiled just a little. "Maybe... I'll think about it."
Hugo's heart raced. 'Yes! It's working!'
But just as she smiled, his phone buzzed in his pocket, breaking the mont. He pulled it out, saw it was a ssage from Sanchez: Dude. Don't ss this up. Take it slow. Relax.
'Damn it, Sanchez. I'm trying! And how are you so good with the timing!'
Jessica's smile faded a little as she checked her phone too, and Hugo tried to quickly jump in before the mont slipped away. He leaned in a little closer, not wanting to lose the montum.
"So, you like hanging out at places like this?" he asked smoothly, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Or do you prefer sowhere quieter?"
Jessica looked at him, her face softening again. "I an, this place is fun sotis. But... yeah, I like quieter spots too."
Yes!
Hugo gave her a warm smile, hoping the conversation was going in the right direction. But just then, he felt that burning sensation in his mouth again. Seriously? This is a joke.
But Hugo wasn't about to let a little thing like fiery death on his tongue stop him. He gave a small cough, desperately trying not to show his panic. 'I'm not gonna let a spicy drink ruin my chances.'
"Hey, Jessica..." he started again, trying to play it cool, even though his mouth felt like it was on fire. "If you like quiet places, maybe we could find one later? You know... just the two of us?"
Jessica looked at him, her eyes sparkling again, and this ti, Hugo was sure she wasn't just humoring him. It's happening!
But as he stood there, feeling like he was winning... he still couldn't stop cursing the bartender in his head. I'm going to get that guy back. Oh, he's not getting away with this.
Not. This. Ti.
_____
Power stone Goal!
50 PS - 1 Bonus chapter
100 PS - 2 Bonus chapter
200 PS (Quite an achievent as of now) - 3 Bonus chapters.
Castle - 20 Bonus Chapters!
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