CHAPTER FIVE

" I won't give up." 

She said to herself and continued on her quest to find the bar, walking admist the dancing crowd.

" Hey gorgeous."

A rough, looking Man said to her, she ignored him and continued walking, but she looked back and flashed him a polite smile.

She hastened her steps when she felt a pair of big hands around her waist, like someone was trying to groupe her and make her dance. She didn't bother looking back to see who it was.

After few seconds, she arrived at the bar, almost smiling, but she frowned when she noticed there was no empty seats available for her.

With a sigh of frustration, she says while looking around.

" This place is too crowded. "

" Bonjour madmoselle', it's your first time here right? "

A tall, middle aged, bar tender with hot eyes, black, curly, hair and a mustache said to her with a broad smile on his face. She didn't respond, she only smiled awkwardly.

Julia must have behaved like a naive, lady in the midst of experienced people. Her attitude must have given away the fact that she's unfamiliar with places like this .

" Quelle' belle dame."

( What a beautiful Lady )

He thought to himself.

" I'm guessing you're new here. "

The man asked again trying to get her attention.

" Yeah, sort of, I came here few days ago."  She says with a nervous giggle, angry at herself for saying too much, she tends to talk a lot whenever she feels nervous.

" Well, your first drink is on me. "

He says while pouring a bottle of French wine into a glass cup.

" Come on, I'll get a seat. "

He said and left. While Julia waited.

Few seconds later, he came back with a stool. He placed the stool on a spot at the end of the bar's counter, which was directly facing the dance floor.

A young Mexican Man was sitted beside the stool and busy with his phone.

"Je M'appelle' Dante' Enchante, Comment Allez Vous?"

He asked, as he extended his arm, wanting to shake her hand

As Dante' was about to speak another French word, she interrupted him and said.

" I don't speak French. "

"Je Suis de'sole'. I mean I'm sorry, I thought you... "

He says in a polite tone. But Julia interrupts him and says with a smile

" It's Okay and thanks for the seat."

"You're welcome. As I was saying, My name is Dante'  What's your name? " 

He asks with interest .

" I'm Juliana but my friends call me Julia, so I guess you can call me that too."

She told him as she sat down.

Dante' looked at her with a friendly smile on his face, while serving two shots of wine to the man beside her .

" Merci. " The man replies .

"Je t'en prie. " Dante' responds.

Somehow Dante' knew that Julia was feeling nervous, so he extended his hand for a friendly greeting.

" It's nice to meet you Julianna."

" Nice to meet you too ."

She shakes his hands.

"Qu'est Ce que tu Veus Boire?

Oh sorry, I mean What can I get for you?"

He asked her.

" A glass of strawberry Wine, Thanks ." She says as she settles down on her seat, while looking around.

" So you drink? "

Dante' asked as soon as he returned with a bottle of wine and placed it before her . He poured a little in a glass and handed it to her.

Julia smiled, collected the glass of wine and sipped from it.

" So, what brought you to the city of Paris? " 

He asked to start a conversation with her. He was so inquisitive and full of curiosity.

" Is there any special reason you came here? " 

He asked again, She remained silent.

" Do you like Paris? "

He asked for the third time, popping his elbows on the counter,  He had a fixed gaze on her and he seemed interested in her response.

Julia took a sip from her glass of wine, she felt a bit uncomfortable,

being watched by Dante'.

After a long sigh, she says.

" Work brought me here ."

" Work? "  Dante' asked curiously,

His voice was too loud, which made Julia wonder if his High tone was as a result of the loud musical noise of the club that makes it hard for anyone to hear anything a person says except he or she yells, or was it that he was really surprised by what she said, or was he just naturally loud.

Either ways, she felt a bit annoyed, cause few minutes ago, Dante' announced.

" You're new here. "

" Probably he's just observative."

She concluded in her mind.

But it was obvious that this bar tender guy was a talkative person with a charming French accent.

The DJ reduced the music to a low volume for obvious reasons.

"Yeah, I just got transferred to the head office of where I work, the main fashion empire is here in France." 

She said to him.

" Oh that's nice."

He responded with a nod.

"I just met this guy and I'm telling him this much, gosh! He asks too much, I'm sure he made his teacher suffer while he was in school"

Julia voiced in her mind, she felt a bit dumb for saying too much to a guy she just met.

Dante' looked at her in silence as if expecting her to say more. She looks at her glass of wine and says to him while smiling.

"I'm a Model and fashion designer"

"Wow!" Dante' exclaims, almost impressed.

Julia's words ;

"I'm a model and fashion  designer" made the young man sitting beside her turn to look at her, as if she was someone or something he had been searching for. Seconds later, he looked away returning his attention to his phone.

" Can i have your number? "

Dante' asked Julia.

" Sure. " She mumbled.

" What's the harm in giving him my number?" She thought to herself.

She brought out her phone from her purse, So she and Dante' exchanged contacts.

" You're kinda cute. "

Julia heard herself say to him.

Dante' smiled and said.

" Thanks, I hear that a lot."

He leans forward and says.

" You're tall and slim stature makes you look like a Victoria secret model."

" Yeah I know, I've been told a couple of times."

She says proudly.

He gave her a look of admiration mixed with surprised. Dante' remained silent for a while and stared at Julia. He was annoyingly quiet and Julia didn't know what else to say, she didn't want to say anything else to this nice but interrogative French Man.

His presence made her wonder.

" Why is he here with me?

Doesn't he have other people to attend to?"

After a weird silence of awkward stare between them. Dante' finally said something.

" You're really interesting, but  aside your job, I believe you've never been to a place like this before or have you?"

" Well I..." Julia started and Dante' interrupted.

" I can tell today is your first time at a night club "

She laughed out loud, which made the Mexican Man sitted beside her, wonder if the bar tender guy was a comedian.

"Why did you assume so?

Do I look naive? "

Julia asked in curiosity.

" Well, I've been on this job for a very long time and I can tell a newbie when I see one, moreover I'm a very observative person and I've been watching you the moment you walked through that door."

He says with a wink, making her frown. She remained silent and sipped her wine.

Dante' looked at her from head to waist .

"You look good by the way."

He said with another wink, smirking and admiring her beauty.

"Thanks" She says while adjusting her dress.

Something about what Dante' said

"Ive been watching you."

Made Julia's smile drop and change into a look of iritation mixed with disgust. She didn't find it funny, she found it creepy and weird, Dante's constant winks were more annoying than the last, It was a bit cringing to watch.

At this point, she lost interest in the conversation but Dante', the hot bar tender wanted to talk some more, cause he loves the sound of his voice.

" I'm guessing you're American"

He asked her.

" Yes" She replied sharply with a bored look on her face.

"Well, I'm French Canadian"

He says proudly.

"That's nice"

She responds without interest .

"So, you came to Paris alone?"

He asked curiously.

" Yes" She replied with a bored look on her face and drank the remaining wine in her glass.

Dante' looked at Julia and asked the question that has been on his mind.

"I really want to know, do you have a boyfriend? "

" Are you dating anyone just single?" He asked again

" Pardon?" Julia asked frowning.

"You heard me." Dante' spoke in a strict tone and a serious look on his face. Julia ignored his question and avoided eye contact with him. Now this was too much, he was crossing the line of her personal affairs. An unexpected, meddlesome, question that made her feel offended and unwilling to answer.

Fed up with his attitude, she opened her purse, took out some Euro notes and gave it to Dante' who collected it and kept In a drawer under the counter.

" I have to go now, it was nice meeting you "

She saysto him, while getting up to leave.

" So soon? Did I say something wrong?" He asks while trying to hold her back and stop her from leaving.

Julia got up and walked away.

" Au revoir" He says to her as she goes.

Julia walked to an empty couch at the side of the bar. She sat down and was busy with her phone.