4 Eye Contact

The charming admirer hidden in the crowd continued to look at her with extreme interest, distracting only for a moment, the time it took to change his empty glass with a full one from the tray of a waiter called a few moments earlier.

"Well, they are bold words, ma chérie! Anyway, I'm sure your determination will take you very high! Who knows, maybe the next time I interview you, you'll have become one of the most famous perfume stylists in the world! Viewer friends, your biggest question has finally received an answer: the neo-celebrity Kora Night is single and is a real men-slayer! Be careful! The hunting season has just begun!" the journalist exclaimed, looking at the camera, never leaving the pseudo-television host's role.

Kora laughed with composure, resting the chalice on the table in front of her, when two of Naseefa's fingers grabbed the stem of that expensive glass, ready to move it away from the sight of her best friend.

Suddenly, with great alertness, Kora's hand reached her assistant's wrist, interrupting the movement of her hand and forcing her to leave the grip.

When the eyes of the two friends crossed, from the gaze of the young and talented perfume creator was sent a subtle message, useful to make Naseefa understand that that opportunity was unrepeatable and that that bottle of that French good wine deserved to be drunk to the last drop, with the risk of exaggerating.

Naseefa knew Kora like a book, but circumstances did not allow her to add anything else, so, without giving too much in the eye, she left the glass and continued to look normally at the journalist, as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, one last thing, I almost forgot it! Two of your perfumes are the winning candidates of the 'La Rose Jaune' award, the name of which is inspired by the hotel that sponsored the event. Next to them, there are significant names of famous artists in the fashion industry. How are you feeling? Are you more excited or afraid?" Christine continued, approaching the microphone of 'Les Parisiens' at her interviewee's mouth for the last time.

"None of the two, Christine. My heart is full of pride right now. Those perfumes are my sweet creatures. They're like children. I feel like a young mother attending her son's awards ceremony at the school's athletics championship. Yes, I think this is a good metaphor," Kora smiled, gently touching the journalist's wrist with her soft hand and treating her as if she was a dear friend of hers.

"Perfect, you couldn't be clearer! And you? What do you think? Who will win the seasonal award of the Academie de la mode? Run on our social pages and rate your favourites! Your names will be drawn, and the winner of the draw will receive a free bottle of the essence that will win the contest! For the moment, from the Grand Gala in Paris, that's all! Au revoir, mes amis!"

"And... Stop! Perfect, Christine" the cameraman said, pressing a button on the left side of the camera and interrupting the recording, starting to compulsively look at the small display of the device, on which he could see a recap of the scene just aired.

"Ullallà..." Christine replied, stretching her back and trying to wipe her face with her hand, drinking a sip of the wine kindly offered by Kora. "Excuse me, girls. If I'm not mistaken, this was my 11th interview today, and I'm exhausted!"

"Haha! Don't worry. There's no need to apologize! Thank you, see you soon!" Kora exclaimed with her usual dazzling smile, rising from the table and turning backwards, approaching the buffet.

"Hey, Kora! Where are you going?!" Naseefa said worried, as if a serial killer was around the corner ready to assassinate her boss.

"Naseefa, where do you think I'm going? I'm just trying to act normally! You should too! Relax, you're tense like a wooden stick!" she said, looking at the charming man, who, unlike the rest of the crowd, had not moved from an inch.

"Kora, you have to be careful about how you behave! For now, everything has gone well, but if you overdo with wine, it'll happen what always happens, every damn time."

"And what? Mh? That I'm going to get drunk and have a little fun with that blond-haired millionaire hottie? Well, I don't think it's a tragedy!" Kora replied, chuckling with composure and grabbing a tiny sandwich with her fingertips.

"What will you do if your perfumes win the award? They're going to call you to give a short talk and... oh my God, I don't even want to imagine what you could say dead drunk!"

"Haha! Yes, you're right! I'd be a real disaster! Hahah... hey" Kora whispered, stroking Naseefa's arm, who looked up at her. "I'll try to hold back, okay? I promise I won't drink a single more drop of alcohol before that awards. Anyway, the only prize I can win is the one reserved for new promises. With all the names of those big shots competing, my products won't even reach the top ten and..."

"Good afternoon, Lady Night."

Kora's words were suddenly interrupted by a warm, manly voice coming from behind her, at close range. Her eyes, before looking in the direction of that voice, fell once again on Naseefa, who, in embarrassment, turned the other way, pretending to choose something to eat from the long table of the buffet room.

That tall and robust man, with a refined and charming appearance, had decided to break the ice and, to do so, started talking directly to her, who, only for a moment, remained motionless, not expecting such bravado from an total stranger.

"Good afternoon," she replied, relaxing her voice as a thrill of excitement ran fast behind her back, till it extinguished as soon as it reached her neck.

"I was listening to your interview and... I find your words extremely interesting. I usually attend events like this and I assure you that finding someone who talks about such profound concepts with your maturity is... well, extremely infrequent" the man added, standing in front of her and resting the glass of the cocktail on the table, rotating it between his fingers.